Devil's Last Dream
by BlackBeauty613
Summary: Sequel to God's First Nightmare. With Troy and Brandon back as friends, life's never been fuller of love and opportunity. But how will that change once the two start recieving threats from their past that could ruin everything they've worked for? Troyella AU, rated for language, sex, rape, and graphic self-injury.
1. Trailer

**Bad thing: God's First Nightmare is over.**

**Good thing: The sequel is just beginning!**

**That's right! Shortytori322821 helped me write this trailer, so props to her! We've written the first chapter and some of the second chapter, so review and tell me what you think of it.**

**Oh, and by the way, the title is obviously Haunting Memories. So far, 10 out of 20 people have voted for HM. Burning Memories came in second with 5 out of 20, Burning Ashes with 3 out of 30, and Haunting Ashes with 2 out of 20. Thanks for voting guys :)

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**Open your eyes**

"_Troy," Lucy whispered loudly, shaking her son's trembling shoulder that was attached to his screaming body. "Troy, wake up..."_

**It's over now**

"_I don't know, man," Brandon sighed, shaking his head. "Sometimes I just get the feeling that Wolf's still out there waiting for us. Once we drop our defenses, he attacks."_

_Troy nodded. "I hate to admit it, but I feel the same way..."_

**Or is it?**

_Shows Gabriella picking up a black envelope, opening it, and taking out a red piece of paper._

_Flashes to Gabriella screaming after reading it…_

**Those feelings that you have...**

_Shows Brandon and Troy walking through the park, talking and laughing. Brandon suddenly stops short._

"_Do you feel that?" he asks Troy._

"_Feel wha...wait. You mean that?" Troy replied, also freezing._

"_Yeah. It feels like we're being watched..."_

**Are they normal?**

_Lucy sighed. "This is crazy."_

_Brandon nodded. "I know. This is the most abnormal thing I've ever been through..."_

**Do you feel...alone?**

"_Chad?" Troy called into the dark room. "Chad! Dude, you here?"_

"_No, he's not," a voice came from deep within the room. "But I'm available..."_

**Do you feel helpless?**

_Shows Gabriella hanging from a bridge, her hands slipping from the bar._

"_Gabriella!" Troy and Brandon scream at the same time._

"_Brandon! Troy! I can't hold on anymore!" Gabriella pleaded, tears streaming down her face. Her hand finally slips completely and she falls into the river._

"_GABRIELLA!!"_

**Like no one's there to catch you while you fall?**

_Shows Brandon and Troy yelling at each other. Troy suddenly lunges for Brandon and starts a fight with him…_

_Shows Troy glowering at Brandon while holding his phone in his shaking hands…_

"_How could you?" Troy seethed lowly, his face becoming red._

"_Oh my God," Brandon replied just as angrily. "She's the one cheating on me and I'm the one who gets in trouble?"_

_Troy exploded. "She could've gotten killed! How could you be so selfish?!"_

"_I learn from the best..."_

_Shows Brandon staring lifelessly at a screaming Troy being hauled away by his parents. Suddenly, he takes off and runs out the door into the pounding rain…_

**Don't feel like you're alone...**

_Brandon, feeling touched by Troy's words, said softly "Thanks bro. You have no idea how much that means to me."_

_"Hey, what are best friends for?" Troy smiled._

"_That's the question everyone with that label should ask you…"_

**Don't turn away...**

_Shows Brandon falling to his knees in the rain, whispering "I'm so sorry, Isabelle..."_

**Don't try to hide...**

"_What if we all just ran away?" Brandon asked the group._

"_And be cowards?" Troy asked in disbelief. "We can't show fear. Besides, where can we go where he won't find us…"_

**Don't close your eyes...**

"_This is just a dream," Troy whispered to himself "When I open my eyes, this will all just disappear and go away..."_

**Don't turn out the light.**

"_How did we get ourselves into this?" Gabriella asked through tears. "What did we do to deserve this?"_

"_We didn't do anything," Brandon comforted her, stroking her hair "We just asked for a test of faith and this is what we got. And I for one am not going to fail it..."_

**Starring,**

**Zac Efron as Troy Bolton**

**Joe Jonas as Brandon Montez**

**Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez**

**Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth**

**Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans**

**Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie**

**Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans**

**Brittany Snow as Isabelle Johnson**

**Michael Seater as Brick Wolf**

_**Haunting Memories**_

**I can feel you with me, but I won't let you pull me down...**

**Premieres June 20th...

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**The first chapter should be up June 20th, same day as the Camp Rock premiere! And Shortytori322821 came up with the idea of Michael Seater "playing" Brick. If you don't know who he is, he plays Derek from Life With Derek. He's really hot, lol. And Brittany Snow was already planned to play Isabelle when she showed up in the first one :)**

**REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**

**Trivia:**

**- The part of the trailer that says "Don't turn away, don't try to hide, don't close your eyes, don't turn out the lights" is the chorus to Evanescence's song Whisper. The song really fits this story. You'll see how when it gets started.**


	2. Intro

**Disclaimer – I don't own any characters that you recognize. Only Brandon, Isabelle, Sarah, Brick, and Coach Wolf.**

**Okay, here's the first chapter of Haunting Memories!! Me and shortytori are so stoked to write this story for you guys! And guess what?! Camp Rock premiers later tonight!! It's just a day full of Jonas isn't it :)**

**Oh and a heads up for you. For all of you guys that are reading my story "Forgotten Secret" I only got 6 reviews for chapter 1. If this story gets more reviews than Forgotten Secret, I'll focus on this more and leave FS for later. Gotta keep my readers happy :)**

**Chapter One – Intro**

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"_Brandon! No!" Troy screamed as he saw the bullet heading towards Brandon. Everything was going in slow motion as the two watched the death device head towards Brandon. Everything was frozen. No one moved. No one breathed. Troy wanted to help, but was too badly hurt and shocked. This couldn't be happening._

_Troy and Brandon watched intensely as the bullet hit Brandon square in the chest. Troy shut his eyes as Brandon cried out in pain, the bullet's pain traveling through his body. That didn't last long as he started to go numb, the life getting sucked from his body. Troy crawled over to his best friend and picked him up from the ground, resting his head in his lap. Troy's tears soaked Brandon's head as the wounded boy's eyes started to close._

"_I'm sorry Troy." Brandon whispered, his eyes fully closing._

_Troy was about to reply, but it was too late. Brandon's body went limp in his arms. He was gone._

"NO!! BRANDON!!" Troy yelled as he woke up from the nightmare. The sweat on his forehead implied that it was only a nightmare, not real life. But it all felt so real. Like Troy and his best friend were actually living the horrifying experience right there and then.

But this wasn't the first time that these nightmares had taken place. 3 months ago, Troy and Brandon had defeated Coach Ben Wolf, the person who had ruined both boys' lives for 5 years. For 2 months, everything had been fine. Everything was the way it was before Wolf had entered their lives. But then, on that fateful day, Brandon had received a threatening text message from Wolf's nephew, Brick. Brick was told that if anything were to happen to Wolf, he was to continue walking in his uncle's footsteps and make Troy and Brandon's lives living hell. He had followed orders. That was the first time Troy and Brandon had received a nightmare.

Troy then heard quiet, frantic footsteps come up the stairs to his bedroom. He closed his eyes and ran a shaky hand through his damp hair. He knew exactly who it was.

"Troy," Lucy whispered. She walked over to her son's bed and sat down next to him, stroking his back lovingly. "Sweetie, did you have another nightmare?"

Troy just nodded, not replying verbally. He looked to his left at his clock. 3:57 AM.

"Do you want me to call Gina to see if Brandon and Gabriella can spend the night?"

Troy nodded again. Little did he know that Brandon was also having trouble sleeping and Gabriella couldn't even calm him down.

Lucy didn't even pick up the phone before 2 small, scared voices called "Troy?" Troy looked up and saw his best friend and his girlfriend standing in his balcony doorway. Gabriella had her teddy bear that she had since she was 2 and was in her pink and purple pajamas with the pig slippers that Troy got for her birthday last month. Brandon was simply wearing a white t-shirt and dark blue pajama pants. His eyes were unusually dark and showed that he was deeply terrified of something. Troy knew that he had the nightmare too.

"You too?" Troy asked the male half of the twins. Brandon just nodded.

The Montez siblings walked over to their friend and sat down on his bed. No one said a word. They never did when they slept over at each other's houses in this case. They had sleepovers that were fun and crazy but on nights like this one, no one made the effort of speaking. They were all too scared to say anything.

"W-who got shot?" Brandon asked, breaking the eerie silence.

"You." Troy replied breathlessly.

"Vise versa." Brandon informed. After that, silence.

"Both of you got shot in mine." Gabriella whimpered, letting her head fall into Brandon's chest. Brandon just hugged her close and ran his hand through her hair.

Troy looked over at the two. They were so dependent on each other when it came to things like this. Just last week, Gabriella had had a nightmare of both of the boys getting killed by Brick. Troy and Brandon knew that she wasn't safe either if she was receiving the deadly signs too.

"It's okay Gabby." Brandon soothed her, rubbing her back. "He's not gonna hurt you. Me and Troy will make sure of that." He gave Troy a look. Troy just nodded.

Brandon mouthed "Thank you." After that, he handed Gabriella over to her boyfriend. Troy took her in his arms and placed a deep kiss on her forehead. As her tears soaked his shirt, he mouthed "What are we gonna do?"

Brandon shrugged "I don't know man. I don't know."

--

...The Next Morning...

Troy woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs being cooked at about 10:45 the next morning. His mother only cooked breakfast on Saturdays. Thank God school wasn't in until another week. They didn't know if they could handle it after what happened last night.

He sat up straight and tried to swing his legs over the bed, but found that he couldn't. He smiled when he found Brandon sleeping peacefully, his arms wrapped around Gabriella safely. If anyone didn't know any better, they would assume that Brandon and Gabriella were a couple.

"Guys," Troy whispered, shrugging Brandon's shoulder. "Brandon. Gabby. Get up."

Brandon moaned "Mom, just 5 more minutes."

Troy rolled his eyes and, seeing that Brandon was the closest to the edge of the bed, shoved him off. Brandon landed with a thump and shrieked, sitting up with an alarmed look etched across his face.

"Rise and shine." Troy teased. Brandon just glared at him and threw a pillow at his best friend.

Gabriella, feeling the absence of warmth, stirred and cracked open her eyes. Troy smiled down at her and whispered "Morning sunshine."

Gabriella smiled "Morning. Where's Brandon?"

"Down here." Brandon mumbled, raising his hand and giving Troy a look. Troy just laughed at him.

"Hey. What are you doing down there?" Gabriella confusingly asked.

Brandon shot Troy another glare and said through clenched teeth "I slipped."

"You should really be more careful then." Troy mocked.

"Oh shut up," Brandon grinned "Anyways, it's Saturday. Let's go get some bacon and eggs."

"Yeah, I'm hungry." Gabriella added, getting out from under the covers. She stretched and felt hands wrap around her waist. She smiled as Troy rested his head on her shoulder.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"I don't know. I feel like it." He murmured into her neck.

She kissed his cheek and said "Well I feel like eating, so can you please let go of me?"

Troy rolled his eyes and sighed "You're lucky I love you so much."

Gabriella smiled and removed Troy's hands from her waist. She walked out the door, leaving Troy and Brandon alone.

"Dude, you got it bad. She always controls over you." Brandon laughed, crossing his arms.

Troy again rolled his eyes and shot back "Oh, and you're not the same with Isabelle when she's visiting?"

That shut Brandon up.

--

...2 Hours Later...

"Bye mom! Bye dad!" Troy called, getting his keys from his room.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked from the living room.

"Me, Brandon, and Gabby are going to the mall to meet up with everyone else. We won't be back until about 7, so I'll miss part of dinner."

"Okay, see you later." Jack replied, looking through the mail.

As the trio walked out the door, Jack sighed "Bill, bill, bill, bi-what's this?" He removed a black envelope from the pile and looked for a return address. He found none.

"Wonder who this is from." He then saw that it was for Troy. Curiosity got the best of him as he tore open the envelope and opened the red paper. He read over it and his eyes widened. He grabbed his keys and ran out the door, hoping that Troy didn't get to the mall yet.

--

...The Mall...

5 minutes later, Troy parked his car and walked in between Brandon and Gabriella into the building. He scanned the food court and found Chad talking to Sharpay. Taylor and Ryan, noticing their three friends, smiled and waved them over.

"Hey guys." Brandon greeted for the three of them as he sat down.

"Hey Danger." Sharpay smiled after calling him by his nickname.

"So what are we gonna do today?" Ryan asked generally.

"I don't know," Troy shrugged "I guess just walk around and cause chaos."

"You mean like always?" Taylor joked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Troy grinned.

"Actually, I was online and I saw a few new mall pranks," Chad told them "Why don't we try them out on Hollister?"

"Oh no!" Gabriella warned him "That's my favorite store!"

"Don't worry," Chad rolled his eyes "The pranks only piss off the clerk."

After Gabriella, Sharpay, and Taylor sighed in relief, the 7 walked over to the store, snickering as Chad explained his plan to them.

"So does everyone understand their job?" the bushy haired boy asked them. Everyone nodded. "Good. Let's go."

Troy walked in first and walked into the girls' section. He headed back towards the clearance section and waved his hand, signaling Gabriella to follow. Gabriella followed him into the store and backed into a dark corner. Troy wrapped his arms around her waist and started kissing her fiercely. As they made out, they made unnecessary noises and knocked clothes all over the place. Eventually, they got a clerk's attention. As the girl stomped over to them, Chad and Ryan sneaked into the cash register area.

"Excuse me!" The girl, named Brianna, nearly yelled. Troy and Gabriella ignored her and continued to make out.

"Excuse me!" Brianna said louder. Again, the couple ignored her.

Brianna finally got fed up as she shoved Troy's shoulder and yelled "Yo! Romeo and Juliet!"

Troy and Gabriella finally broke apart and gave Brianna an annoyed look. "What?!" Troy spat.

"No PDA or I'll call security!" Brianna glared.

"Oh yeah?" Gabriella argued, placing a hand on her hip. "I don't see any signs that say we're not allowed to kiss in here."

"We don't need any. It's just called common sense." Brianna rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Well if you haven't noticed by now," Troy spoke slowly as though he were talking to an infant "We don't have any common sense. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to kiss my girlfriend without any interruptions." With that, he turned back to Gabriella and continued to kiss her.

Brianna figured that she'd have to go to Plan B. She broke the two apart using her hands and professionally said "I warned you, so now I'm gonna have to ask you to please leave."

"Whatever," Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Come on Troy. Let's go to the dressing rooms in American Eagle." With that, the two exited the store.

Once outside, they burst into laughter. "Oh my God! Did you see the look on her face?!" Troy laughed.

"She looked totally jealous of me!" Gabriella giggled.

Once Troy and Gabriella finished laughing, they looked around and noticed the absence of two people. "I'm guessing that Chad and Ryan already went in." Troy asked.

Brandon nodded "They went in when that girl left the cashier."

"Boy, this one ought to be good..." Gabriella snickered.

Back in the store, Chad and Ryan ducked underneath a pile of clothes and waited for Brianna to return. When she did, the two jumped out and screamed "OH MY GOD!!"

Brianna screamed "What the hell?! You two can't be back here!!"

Chad ignored her and held up a shirt. "45 bucks for a freakin' tank top?!"

Ryan spat "30 dollars for a jacket?! And on _sale_?! What's wrong with you people?!"

Chad added "Yeah, most people would call that a steal!"

Brianna fumed "I don't set the prices, okay guys?! I just work here!"

"Well, I'd like to file a complaint!" Chad glared, throwing down the tank top he was holding.

"My girlfriend wants to shop here and she comes from a very poor family! Help her out a little!" Ryan angrily told Brianna.

"Talk to the manager about stuff like that!" Brianna desperately pleaded, trying to get them out of the store.

"Why can't we talk to you about it?!" Ryan crossed his arms.

"Because I don't know how to do that!" Brianna yelled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Well learn!" Chad huffed. "And when you do, call us!" With that, the two boys stomped out of the store. They walked back out to their friends, who were laughing their butts off.

"That was good guys!" Sharpay congratulated, patting Ryan on the back.

"Yeah, I bet she's ready to quit now" Brandon added.

"Thanks guys." Chad smiled. "Okay Brandon, you ready for your part?"

Brandon nodded and rolled up the sleeves of his white jacket. "Oh yeah. I'm so ready."

"Okay Casanova. It's go time." Troy urged. Brandon took a deep breath and strolled into the store, wearing a seductive grin the whole way. He walked over to Brianna, who was holding her head in her hands. "Hey baby," Brandon greeted, leaning against a pole smoothly.

"Oh my God, not another one..." Brianna mumbled to herself. She lifted her head and glared at him "What do you want?"

"Listen, I just wanted to apologize for my friends' behavior," Brandon apologized falsely. "They can be real assholes sometimes. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you..."

"Get them out of this mall and make sure they never come back!" Brianna spat, turning to clean up the mess that Chad and Ryan made.

Brandon again grinned and cooed "I was thinking of something a little different. What time do you get off?" He could hear the snickers and laughs from his friends behind him.

"I have a boyfriend." Brianna told him through clenched teeth.

"Can you prove that to me? I'd like to know who the lucky guy is who got a girl as beautiful as you."

Brianna flashed him her ring finger, which had West High's class ring on it. "He gave me his class ring. Now leave."

"Oh! So you're from West High," Brandon smiled. "Well then I guess I shouldn't be talking to someone from the rival school."

"You go to East High?" Brianna muttered.

"Yup. The school that kicked your school's basketball team's ass last year." Brandon bragged, looking over Brianna's body to make her feel uncomfortable.

"That guy that made the winning shot cheated. What was his name, Roy Holton or something?"

"Troy Bolton," Brandon corrected, licking his lips slowly. "But I just call him my best friend."

"Oh! Then I guess I _really_ shouldn't be talking to you!" Brianna exploded. "Did you know he was in here playing tonsil hockey with his girlfriend a few minutes ago?!"

"Yeah, that girl was my sister and his girlfriend. Good couple, don't you think?"

"Not really."

"Alrighty then." Brandon smirked "Why don't we try to make a better one?"

"I don't think so. My boyfriend works at American Eagle which is right around the corner and I don't think he'd mind kicking you and your friends' asses." Brianna threatened.

Brandon smiled "Don't you think it would be a shame if he got fired just because you were getting a little irritated?"

Brianna's face turned a deep shade of red. She stomped out from behind the counter and grabbed Brandon's hand, dragging him out of the store.

"If you're not interested, then why are you holding my hand?" Brandon flirted, trying to suppress his laughter.

Brianna didn't reply. She just continued walking towards the exit. Once she reached it, she threw Brandon out and screeched "Don't come back!"

Brandon whined "But your hand was so warm baby! Come on!" When Brianna disappeared into the store again, Brandon shrugged and turned back to his friends, who were rolling on the floor laughing.

"Dude! That was the best one ever!" Chad choked out.

"Yeah, how'd you keep a straight face like that?!" Sharpay asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Brandon grinned "You know what they say. Practice makes perfect."

Sharpay nodded and asked Chad "What was I supposed to do again?"

Chad answered "You go in there, pick out a pink shirt, and complain that it's not pink and sparkly enough."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Taylor asked. "I was too busy laughing to remember."

Chad replied "Get out your credit card and tell that girl that you plan on blowing it all right now. Tell her that you need help deciding on what to spend it on and turn down every idea she has. Then say "No! That shirt's ugly! Can't you make any good sugg-"

Chad couldn't finish. All of a sudden, the 7 friends were hurled off their feet and tossed across the mall, crashing into the wall. They fell in a heap and their eyes snapped open. They got to their feet as they saw grenades exploding in a line, heading straight for them. They ran out the nearest door and when they were far away enough, they turned and watched as the mall burst into flames, taking anyone who didn't get out with it. They saw about 30 people, including Brianna, escape the mall with horrified expressions. A black haired teen had his arms around her. Brandon guessed that it was her boyfriend that she was talking about.

"Jesus Christ..." Taylor gasped, feeling arms wrap around her and knowing that it was Chad.

"What the hell happened?" Gabriella nearly yelled, running over to Troy, who was on the ground holding his foot. Gabriella kneeled down and concerned "Troy, what's wrong?"

Troy groaned "My foot. I think I broke it."

"We need to get home," Sharpay announced, holding her bruised and cut up arm. "Someone help Troy to his feet." Gabriella and Brandon each grabbed on of Troy's arms and helped him up.

"How are we gonna do this? Our cars are on the other side of the building." Chad worried aloud.

As if on cue, Jack's car pulled up beside the group. He rolled down his window and commanded "Get in!"

Everyone humbly followed orders. Gabriella and Brandon helped Troy into the front seat and after that, they joined their friends in the back.

"Is everyone okay?" Jack asked everyone.

Brandon replied "Troy hurt his foot and Sharpay got a few cuts and bruises, but other than that, we're good."

Jack nodded "Good. Okay, so I'll drop everyone off at their cars and we'll all meet back at my house. Brandon, can you drive Troy's car since he hurt his foot?"

Brandon nodded. Troy dug around in his pocket and tossed him the keys.

"What happened back there?" Taylor asked.

Jack sent a red piece of paper back to her. She opened the paper and gasped as she read aloud.

_I hope you and your friends have fun at the mall Bolton. I'm sure you'll all have an explosive time. Oops, have I said too much?_

_- A Friend_

"Who's 'A Friend' Troy?" Taylor worried aloud.

Troy, Brandon, and Gabriella all exchanged worried glances. In unison, they all said "Brick."

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**Cliffhanger! Sorry about that. It had to be done. Anyways, what did you think? Like it? Hate it? Tell me in your REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**

**Sneak At Next Chapter:**

**- Troy and Sharpay are taken to the hospital**

_**Jack handed Troy over to Brandon and Chad. The two teenagers took him from his father and helped him out the door to the car. "Hold on man," Brandon comforted "You're gonna be fine."**_

"_**Thanks dude." Troy smiled.**_

**- More explanations on the situation**

_**Jessica spoke up "Who do you think blew up the mall?"**_

_**Brandon answered "We know who did it."**_

"_**Who?"**_

_**Brandon gave Troy a look, as if asking him if he should tell them. Troy nodded.**_

_**Brandon nodded back and sighed "Brick Wolf."**_

"_**Brick who?" Robert gasped. All the parents knew about what happened with Coach Wolf. The last name Wolf alarmed them.**_

"_**Brick Wolf," Brandon repeated "He's Coach Wolf's nephew. When his uncle died, Brick was told to follow in his footsteps and take over."**_

"_**And might I add that he's doing one hell of a job?" Troy added.**_

_**Brandon said "You got that right. He stalks us and threatens us with text messages and calls. Last week I got a text that said '"Blood is thicker than water. Hope your plumbing doesn't get clogged when I slit your throat..."**_

**- Trouble is ahead for someone**

_**Troy answered "Leave Brandon here and send in Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, and Ry-"**_

_**Troy was cut off by a blood curdling scream. He and Brandon gave each other looks of pure horror. That wasn't just anybody's scream.**_

"_**Where's Gabriella?!"**_

**Trivia:**

**- Shortytori came up with most of the first part of this chapter. I came up with the second**

**- Brianna is named after one of my best friends. You may or may not see more of her in this story**

**- Hollister is one of my favorite stores in the mall, aside from Wet Seal. That's why I used it.**

**- The prices for the clothes that Chad and Ryan were complaining about are actually true prices that I found on the website () :S Yeah, they're expensive...**

**- When Sharpay called Brandon "Danger", that's a real life moment. If you're a hee-uge JB fan, you'd know that Danger is Joe's nickname :)**


	3. More Explanations

**Disclaimer: Let me check -Checks my records- Nope. Still don't own it.**

**Sorry this took so long guys! Some bastard reported my story "Cheated" and Fanfiction locked my account for 3 days. Now I have to rewrite the whole story and Troyella-fy it. Damn, I hate those people who do that...**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter! Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 2 - More Explanations**

...10 Minutes Later...

Lucy sat on her living room couch sipping coffee while the news blared on the TV.

"_The usual,"_ she thought to herself _"12 year old gone missing, bank robbery in Harrisburg, This Just In: Albuquerque Mall Explosion – WHAT?!"_

She sat up from her slouched position and turned up the volume. The alarmed reporter told all as the demolished building stood in flames behind her.

"This just in! 10 minutes ago, the Central Albuquerque Mall has exploded! A survivor of the attack has reported a line of grenades were set and triggered near the Hollister and American Eagle area. Only about 40 people escaped in time to get out. The police have arrived at the scene and, as we speak, are investigating. Around 3 people have been found so far, none of them alive. 2 teenage boys and one teenage girl."

Lucy's blood ran cold. 3 teenagers. 2 boys and 1 girl...

She flew up from the warm couch and rushed to the phone, dialing the first three numbers of a number. _634-12..._

Before she could finish, the front door crashed open. Lucy looked up and let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. Jack, Troy, Brandon, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, and Ryan entered the house, some of them bleeding and some of them bruised.

"Oh thank you God!" Lucy cried, speeding towards her husband and son. She wrapped her arms around Jack and he did the same.

"Is everyone alright?!" she asked, walking over to Sharpay who was holding her swelled and purple arm.

"We're okay," Jack nodded, helping Brandon set Troy down on the stool. "Troy messed up his foot pretty badly though. I think he needs a hospital."

Lucy nodded and said "We need to take him to the emergency room." Troy smiled at his mother.

"I'm calling my mom," Brandon spoke up, taking out his phone. "She'll definitely want to know about this."

"Me too," Sharpay added "Ryan, can you call mom and da-" Before she went on, her phone rang. She painfully took her damaged arm and pulled her phone out. Looking at the caller ID, she shrugged "What do you know? Here they are."

She answered her phone and said "Mom?"

"Sharpay!" Ms. Evans cried "We were just watching the news and saw what happened at the mall! Are you alright?"

Sharpay replied "Yeah mom, me and Ryan are fine. I cut up my arm though."

"Where are you?"

"Me and everyone else are at Troy's house."

"Okay. Does anyone have to go to the hospital?"

"Yeah. Me and Troy are hurt."

"What happened?!"

"Troy hurt his foot and I hurt my arm. I'm sure it's just nothing, but it wouldn't hurt if they looked at it."

Her mother sighed in relief and said "We'll meet you at the hospital. Did anyone else get hurt?"

"No they're good."

"Okay see you in a few minutes."

"Thanks mom." With that, she hung up. She looked at the rest of her friends and saw that they were all calling their parents too. Apparently they were going to meet them at the hospital as well.

Jack handed Troy over to Brandon and Chad. The two teenagers took him from his father and helped him out the door to the car. "Hold on man," Brandon comforted "You're gonna be fine."

"Thanks dude." Troy smiled.

--

...20 Minutes Later...

Everyone except Troy and Sharpay sat in the waiting room, waiting for someone to tell them something. Nobody was extremely worried. It wasn't like they were on the line for death.

"Sharpay Evans and Troy Bolton?" a doctor called a few minutes later.

Jack, Lucy, and Sharpay's parents, Jessica and Robert, stood up. Jack asked "Are they okay?"

The doctor nodded and smiled "They should be fine. Troy has injured his foot, but the only damage is severe bruising and Sharpay fractured her forearm along with severe bruising as well. Troy will need to wear a cast for the next three days, but after that, he'll be fine. Other than that, they should be okay."

"Can we see them?" Robert asked.

The doctor nodded. "Only 5 in at a time though." With that, he walked off to see another patient.

The parents and Brandon went in first. Jack, Lucy, and Brandon sat beside Troy while Jessica and Robert sat by Sharpay.

"How are you feeling sweetie?" Lucy asked her son.

Troy shrugged and looked over his cast. "I've been better, but I'm good."

Jessica spoke up "Who do you think blew up the mall?"

Brandon answered "We know who did it."

"Who?"

Brandon gave Troy a look, as if asking him if he should tell them. Troy nodded.

Brandon nodded back and sighed "Brick Wolf."

"Brick who?" Robert gasped. All the parents knew about what happened with Coach Wolf. The last name Wolf alarmed them.

"Brick Wolf," Brandon repeated "He's Coach Wolf's nephew. When his uncle died, Brick was told to follow in his footsteps and take over."

"And might I add that he's doing one hell of a job?" Troy added.

Brandon said "You got that right. He stalks us and threatens us with text messages and calls. Last week I got a text that said '"Blood is thicker than water. Hope your plumbing doesn't get clogged when I slit your throat..."

"Good Lord..." Jessica whispered.

Robert asked "How do you know he blew up the mall?"

Troy answered "My dad said that when we walked out the door to go to the mall, he was looking through the mail and found a black envelope with a red piece of paper in it. Whenever we find that, we know that it's a threat from Brick. It said something like 'Hope you and your friends have an explosive time at the mall Bolton'."

"That's ridiculous!" Jessica cried "All because some girl committed suicide?!" Brandon nodded. "I thought I felt bad about it happening before, but that's nothing compared to the feeling I have now."

Troy laid a hand on his best friend's shoulder and comforted "Don't worry. It's not your fault. Wolf over reacted and decided to do what he did. You didn't cause this."

Brandon sighed "Yeah, I guess you're right. I still can't help but feel guilty."

Troy nodded "We all do bro. We all do."

The room remained quiet for a few moments before Lucy piped up "Well, I guess we'll leave you two with your friends. Who do you want me to send in?"

Troy answered "Leave Brandon here and send in Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, and Ry-"

Troy was cut off by a blood curdling scream. He and Brandon gave each other looks of pure horror. That wasn't just anybody's scream...

"Where's Gabriella?!"

--

...Gabriella...

As the parents and Brandon went in to see Troy and Sharpay, Gabriella sat outside with the rest of her friends. Taylor was sleeping on Chad's chest while Ryan was talking with Gabriella.

"I just don't get it," Ryan said, frustrated "How could Brick have gotten those grenades in the mall without anyone seeing?"

Gabriella shrugged "I don't know. These are the Wolfs' we're talking about. They can do anything to hurt anybody."

Ryan nodded and sighed tiredly. Gabriella was about to call Isabelle to tell her what happened when she felt the need to go badly.

"Ryan do you know where the bathrooms are?" She asked her weary friend.

Ryan lazily pointed to a nearby hallway and murmured "2nd door on your left."

Gabriella got up and followed his directions. She walked into the ladies room and locked the door. Once she finished, she went over to the sink to wash her hands when something from behind the mirror caught her eye.

"_What would an envelope be doing behind a mirror?"_ she thought to herself. She pulled it out slowly and looked at the front.

"It's addressed to me?" she muttered under her breath. Curiously, she ripped open the black envelope and took out the red paper.

"_Hope you're not afraid of the dark Gabby..._" she read to herself "_You're going to be seeing a lot of that today._ Huh?"

"Confused?" Gabriella spun around and could feel her breath getting caught in her throat as she stared into the brown eyes that she had been warned she would see.

The last thing Gabriella remembered was her ear piercing scream before lights cut to black.

* * *

**Yowza! Do I really need to tell you what happened to Gabby? If I do, REVIEW and find out! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- What happened to Gabriella is revealed**

_**"Kick it down!" Troy suggested. Brandon motioned for him to move to the side as he backed up until his back was to the wall behind him. He suddenly ran forward and kicked the door with all his strength. They heard a loud crack and then a crash. The doorway was open.**_

_**Brandon ignored the strong pain that was surging through his leg at the moment and ran into the room, looking around. His breath hitched in his throat as he eyed the mirror.**_

_**"Do you see anything?" Troy asked behind him.**_

_**Brandon couldn't find his voice. He just pointed his shaking finger to the mirror and froze. Troy followed his friend's silent directions until his eyes widened. The mirror was cracked with a few shards on the floor, but that wasn't the pair's main focus. It was what was currently staining the mirror.**_

_**Blood. And lots of it.**_

_**"Gabriella..." Brandon whispered, staring at the mirror...**_

**- Brandon has an emotional breakdown**

_**"Should we get the police involved?" Gina asked, already reaching for her cell phone.**_

_**Troy shook his head "No. We have to keep the cops out of this. They'll only screw things up."**_

_**"But what if..." That went along for about 10 minutes before Brandon decided that he couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and quickly ran to his room, ignoring the protests behind him. He locked the door behind him and slid to the floor, his eyes wide and his face pale.**_

**Trivia:**

**- Shortytori came up with the idea of Lucy watching the mall explosion on TV**

**- The names of Sharpay and Ryan's parents, Jessica and Robert, are the real names of the actors. I looked up their names on IMDB and found out**

* * *


	4. Scared

**Sorry for not updating in a while guys. Had stuff to do. Anyways, this is a pretty dramatic chapter, ESPECIALLY towards the end. You'll probably love Brandon as much as I do by the end of it :)**

* * *

Never in the 10 years that this hospital existed has it seen someone on crutches limp as fast as Troy did when he heard Gabriella scream. He and Brandon darted from Troy's hospital room and headed for the bathroom. They couldn't care less if it was the girls' bathroom. They reached for the handle and tried to pry it open, but it was still locked.

"Dammit!" Brandon cried as he violently tried to tear the door open.

"Kick it down!" Troy suggested. Brandon motioned for him to move to the side as he backed up until his back was to the wall behind him. He suddenly ran forward and kicked the door with all his strength. They heard a loud crack and then a crash. The doorway was open.

Brandon ignored the strong pain that was surging through his leg at the moment and ran into the room, looking around. His breath hitched in his throat as he eyed the mirror.

"Do you see anything?" Troy asked behind him.

Brandon couldn't find his voice. He just pointed his shaking finger to the mirror and froze. Troy followed his friend's silent directions until his eyes widened. The mirror was cracked with a few shards on the floor, but that wasn't the pair's main focus. It was what was currently staining the mirror.

Blood. And lots of it.

"Gabriella..." Brandon whispered, staring at the mirror.

"W-what does it s-say?" Troy stuttered, referring to the letters on the mirror that were written with the blood.

It was three simple letters that the two read aloud. They stared at the dripping word and said in unison "Boo..."

--

...Back at Brandon's House...

Troy, Brandon, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad, Taylor, Lucy, Jack, Gina, Jessica, and Robert all sat in the Montez living room, totally silent. Troy and Brandon had explained everything when they found the strength to walk out of the bathroom back at the hospital. They showed Ryan the room and he had the same reaction that they did. It was horrifying.

"I can't believe Brick kidnapped Gabriella..." Sharpay whispered, laying her head on Ryan's shoulder.

Gina nodded and wiped away another tear that had gathered at her eye. "What do you think happened?"

Brandon stayed silent. Troy sat beside him and shook is shoulder "Dude, come on. You haven't said a word since we got here."

Brandon just shook his head and continued staring into space, his eyes getting glossy.

Troy sighed and said "We need to find her."

"Should we get the police involved?" Gina asked, already reaching for her cell phone.

Troy shook his head "No. We have to keep the cops out of this. They'll only screw things up."

"But what if..." That went along for about 10 minutes before Brandon decided that he couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and quickly ran to his room, ignoring the protests behind him. He locked the door behind him and slid to the floor, his eyes wide and his face pale.

This couldn't be happening. Gabriella was in trouble and he wasn't there to protect her. He felt so at fault. If only he was in the waiting room where he could get to the bathroom faster, maybe he could've stopped it. He knew that if he told Troy that, the brunette would say otherwise but Brandon didn't care. He knew that it was his fault.

After getting up, he walked over to his bed and thumped himself on top of it. He got out his iPod and scrolled through all of his songs. There was only one band that could make him feel better in this situation.

He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when he came to a song that he totally related to. He closed his eyes and clicked on the song, letting the music of Three Days Grace flood his ears.

**At night I hear it creeping**

**At night I feel it move**

**I'll never sleep here anymore**

Sometimes he swore that he heard the leaves outside his window rustling. He felt a chill running down his spine as the feeling of being stalked and watched came over him. The last time that happened was when he was sleeping in Gabriella's room because his room was being occupied by his aunt and uncle. He never slept there again.

**I wish you never told me**

**I wish I never knew**

**I wake up screaming**

**It's all because of you**

Even though he was thankful that he and Troy's friendship was reunited, sometimes he wished that Troy never told him about Wolf's plans. His life would still be fear-free and normal if he never knew. But every time he thought that way, he would slap himself in the face and decide that he was crazy for thinking that. He woke up screaming because of Brick, not because of Troy.

**So real these voices in my head**

**When it comes back you won't be**

**Scared and lonely**

**You won't be scared, you won't be**

**You won't be scared and lonely**

**You won't be scared you won't be lonely**

Every time Brick struck them with a threat, Troy comforted Brandon and told him that the next time Brick attacked, he wouldn't be scared and lonely like he was right now.

**I know there's something out there**

**I think I hear it move**

**I've never felt like this before**

**I wish you never told me**

**I wish I never knew**

**I wake up screaming**

**It's all because of you**

**So real these voices in my head**

**When it comes back you won't be**

**Scared and lonely**

**You won't be scared, you won't be**

**You won't be scared and lonely**

**You won't be scared you won't be lonely**

**It's all because of you**

**I wish you never told me**

**I wake up screaming now**

**So real these voices in my head**

**So real these voices in my head**

**I wake up screaming now**

**I wish you never told me**

**I wish I never knew**

**Scared and lonely**

**You won't be scared, you won't be**

**You won't be scared and lonely**

**You won't be scared you won't be lonely**

**Scared and lonely**

**You won't be scared, you won't be**

**You won't be scared and lonely**

**You won't be scared you won't be lonely...**

Just as the song finished, a knock came at Brandon's door. Brandon sighed, knowing who it was and called "Leave me alone Troy."

"Dude, come on," Troy pleaded "Everyone's worried about you."

"Tell them to save it for Gabriella." Brandon turned on his side away from the door to face his window.

He heard Troy sigh "Just let me in. I think I left my cell phone case in here from last week."

Brandon rolled his eyes and grabbed the Razor case that was sitting on his bedside table. He walked over to the door and quickly opened it. He put it in Troy's now opened hand and growled "There. You happy now?"

"Not until I talk to you."

"Well then I guess you're gonna be down in the dumps for a while. I don't feel like talking."

"Brandon-" Troy couldn't finish. The door was slammed in his face again. He grabbed the handle and twisted it before Brandon had the chance to lock it again. "Let go Troy!"

"Nope."

"Just leave me alone!"

"Not until we get this sorted out. I'm not leaving you Brandon."

He heard the angry teen inside growl in frustration as the door flew open. Brandon glared hard at Troy and demanded "What?!"

"Nothing. I just wanna make sure that you're okay."

"Well I'm fine Troy!" Brandon exploded "I just wanna be alone right now!"

Troy rolled his eyes and pushed past Brandon, walking into the room. He sat down on the bed and persisted "I'm not leaving until I get some answers."

Brandon gave a big sigh and threw his forehead against the doorframe. Troy wasn't leaving. Might as well not try to fight it.

He walked over to his best friend and sat beside him, saying flatly "What do you want?"

Troy rested a hand on Brandon's shoulder and replied "I want you to open up. What's going through your head right now?"

Brandon sighed again, for the umpteenth time that day. He studied his shoes while answering "I don't know."

"Bullshit Brandon," Troy refused "I saw the way you stomped out of the room a few minutes ago. You know exactly what you're thinking. Just tell me."

"That's the problem," Brandon explained "There are so many things running through my head right now and I can't get them straight. I don't know what's what. I feel depressed, angry, confused, regretful, at fault, and...just...I don't know. I'm just really lost here."

It was now Troy's turn to sigh and advise "Dude, just concentrate. Why are you depressed?"

"Because my sister got kidnapped." Brandon told him without even thinking.

"Why do you feel angry?" Troy then surveyed.

"I'm pissed at Brick for hurting her."

"You're confused because..."

"Because I'm trying to figure out where he took her, but all I'm getting is nothing."

"You said regretful too."

"Remember last night when I said 'me and Troy are gonna make sure that nothing happens to you.'?"

Troy nodded.

"I didn't keep my promise."

"You never said the word 'promise' in the sentence."

"But I implied it."

Troy opened his mouth to retort, but found that he was right. "It's not your fault."

Brandon shook his head "That's another feeling I have. If I had been in the waiting room with her instead of the hospital room, I could've gotten to her on time."

"Brandon, you didn't know that this was going to happen." Troy comforted his stressed brother "If you did, things would be different, but you didn't. It's not your fault and I'm sure Gabby would say the same thing."

Brandon stayed silent, considering his friend's words. A little voice in the back of his head told him that Troy was right, but a bigger one had a different opinion.

"Why are you so calm?"

"Huh?"

Brandon turned to him "Your girlfriend got kidnapped. Why aren't you spazzing out?"

Troy sighed "Because I know that freaking out won't do anything but make me feel worse. Trust me, I'm worried out of my mind, but I'm trying my best not to show it. I know that we're gonna find her. Besides, Brick won't hold her forever. And he won't kill her. I know he won't and you should too."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because if you think like him, it wouldn't make sense. Why would he just kill her and not give us the thrill of wondering if she's okay or not? He wants us to worry. He wants us to be concerned. He won't hurt her too badly. Trust me."

"Promise?" Brandon asked him, not knowing why he did. It's not like Troy knew for sure, but he was trying his best.

Troy was obviously hesitant, but smiled "Promise." With that, he held out his fist.

Brandon bumped it and followed with their secret handshake. "Thanks man. You always know what to say."

Troy shrugged "We're called best friends for a reason. Now," he stood up in front of Brandon "Let's go out there and find your sister and my hopefully future wife?"

"Your future what?" Brandon rose and eyebrow with a grin.

Troy rolled his eyes "Like you never think that way with Isabelle."

"Shut up."

"What?" Troy laughed "You know it's true."

"Doesn't mean I'll admit it." Brandon retorted.

Troy felt another smile tug at his lips "Don't we all. Now, let's go."

--

...3 Hours Later...

"I don't know about this Troy," Brandon concerned, rubbing his arm "Are you sure Brick didn't take her out of the state?"

Troy shook his head "Again, you just have to think like him. It would take a while to drag her out of New Mexico, hold her hostage for a few days, and then bring her back. He'll only take her for a little while, like a day."

"Then why are we out here looking for her?"

"The sooner we get her back, the better. I can't believe you're even asking that question."

Brandon shook his head at himself. Troy was right. Brick might not hurt her, but that wasn't 100 percent. They had to find her before Brick got any..._temptations_.

They walked for a few more minutes before Brandon growled "God, it's so dark. I can barely see my hand."

"Me neither," Troy agreed, squinting in a failed attempt to see where he was going. "Hey, do you have your iPod with you?"

Brandon reached in his back pocket and pulled out his 3rd generation iPod Nano. "Yeah, why? Are you getting bored?"

Troy rolled his eyes "No. Give it to me."

Brandon, confused, handed the music player to his best friend. Troy turned it on and scrolled down to the settings, went to the backlight option, and switched it to 'Always On'.

"What did you do that for?" Brandon asked after Troy gave it back to him.

Troy explained "We'll use that as a flashlight and you don't have to keep touching the wheel every time the light goes out."

Brandon nodded "Smart."

"Have you ever doubted me?"

The two laughed until Brandon suddenly stopped short, his eyes widening.

"What's wrong?" Troy frowned, noticing his strange behavior.

"Do you feel that?" he shakily said, looking up at Troy with frightened and _dark_ eyes.

"Feel wha...wait. You mean that?" Troy replied, also freezing.

"Yeah. It feels like we're being watched..."

"HELP!!"

Troy and Brandon spun around and looked around, alarmed. Where did that come from?

"Did you hear that?" Troy asked, looking at Brandon's dark silhouette.

"I think the people in Hollywood and Australia heard it." Brandon replied, still looking for the cause of the scream.

"HELP!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!" the shriek came again.

"It's obviously a girl." Troy observed, starting to move in the direction he thought the S.O.S. was coming from.

"Yeah," Brandon agreed, following Troy "But where's it coming from?"

"HELP!!" the girl screamed again "I CAN'T SWIM WELL!!"

Troy and Brandon turned to each other and gave knowing looks.

"The bridge." They said in unison.

Instantly, they ran for the middle of the lake and as they neared the wooden bridge, they could see a figure hanging off the side. It was obviously a girl from the dark hair that was blowing in every which way.

"HELP ME!! I CAN'T HOLD ON MUCH LONGER!!" she screamed. Brandon suddenly became frozen again. He recognized that scream now that it was held out long enough.

"Oh my God," he whispered to himself. He could see the girl's petite frame flailing in the strong wind that was blowing and she was fighting to stay above the deep water. She was wearing a grey jacket that looked just like the one Gabriella had worn that day.

"Brandon!" Troy called once he realized that the black haired teen wasn't moving behind him "What are you do-"

Brandon didn't let him finish. In less than a second, Troy's vision became blurred as Brandon whizzed past him and ran over to the bridge. Troy followed him quickly and soon realized why Brandon had taken off so quickly.

"Gabriella!" Troy and Brandon screamed at the same time, Brandon still propelling towards his endangered sister.

"Brandon! Troy! I can't hold on anymore!" Gabriella pleaded, tears streaming down her face. She looked down at the water and even though she was in the dark, she could see that the bottom was much farther down than she wished it to be.

"Gabby," Brandon screamed, just a few yards from her "Just hold on for a few more seconds!"

"I can't!" Gabriella wailed, her hands finally slipping from the bar. She screamed her lungs out as she propelled downward into the merciless lake.

"GABRIELLA!!" the two screamed. Troy didn't care if he couldn't breathe right. He ran faster than he ever ran in his entire life after Brandon.

As for Brandon, before he even knew what he was doing, he threw his shirt over his head and ran to the edge of the lake. He took a deep breath and dove into the ice cold water after his sister.

"Brandon, what are you doing?!" Troy shouted once he saw the outline of a shirt being thrown to the ground. When he heard a second splash, his eyes widened even more as he screamed "Are you crazy?!"

Brandon didn't think that Brick's timing could be any worse. His sister, who couldn't swim well at all, was sinking to the bottom of the deepest part of a lake and it was darker than a cave down there. The deeper he got, the darker it got. So when he saw two faint outlines of something human shaped, he didn't know if it was a trash bag or his distressed sister.

His question was answered when he saw something sparkle on one of the figures. Gabriella's necklace. Brandon swam to the bottom of the black hole and scooped his unconscious sister into his arms.

He heard that it was difficult to carry two weights when you were underwater, but he never experienced it for himself until now. They were right. To make things worse, he was running out of breath.

He felt Gabriella stir in his arms and fall limp again. He then knew that he couldn't give up. He had to ignore his burning lungs and use most of his leg power to propel them both up and out of this hellhole.

He then heard the sound of shouting coming from the surface. Troy. Brandon couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but he knew that they were words of worry. After all, how would you feel if your best friend and your girlfriend were at the bottom of a lake in the middle of the night?

Brandon didn't know how much longer he could last. He was running out of air fast and Gabriella's weight seemed to be getting heavier and heavier by the second. Even though he was in the water, things started to spin and his vision blurred. A major migraine stirred in his brain. This was it. His lungs were completely empty.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he felt someone grab his shoulders and haul him up to the ground. Gabriella was pulled out of his arms and set on the grass and then he was lied beside her.

Brandon collapsed to his knees and, since he didn't eat anything until after the explosion, brought his breakfast back up for everyone to see. He could just barely see the red included in the mixture.

"Brandon, you okay?" someone said behind him. Brandon turned around and could see Troy's blue, flashlight-like eyes shining with worry. Brandon nodded and took a few more deep breaths before weakly crawling over to his unconscious sister. He immediately pressed two fingers to the top of her neck and waited. He let out the breath that he didn't know he was holding when he felt a slow, but steady heartbeat thump against his fingers. He gently thread his arm under her knees and another one on her upper back and lifted her from the ground bridal style.

He looked at his best friend and lowly commanded "Let's get her home."

Troy nodded silently and followed Brandon in the path home that they knew so well. He moved closer to the wet boy and looked down at the girl in his arms. He stroked her wet hair and whispered "You're gonna be okay Gabriella. I promise."

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Tell me in your REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**

**MINI CONTEST:**

**I used 4 Jonas Brothers song titles in this chapter. One is really, really obvious and one is repeated. Clue: They're all used in the "Gabriella's in trouble" scene :)**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- Gabriella's in shock**

**_"You okay Gabby?" Troy asked his silent girlfriend, pulling her into his arms._**

**_Gabriella just nodded and let her head fall into his chest while she felt his hand run through her hair._**

**_"Yeah, I'm fine..."_**

**- Someone else goes missing**

**_"Hey, weren't Sharpay and Ryan supposed to be here?" Zeke asked the group._**

**_Suddenly, Ryan came running into the building, his face pale and his eyes wide. His whole body was shaking while he held a hand behind his back._**

**_"Ryan," Brandon concerned "What's wrong?"_**

**_Ryan didn't respond. He just pulled his hand out from behind his back and set the object down in Brandon's hand. Brandon looked down at his hand and suddenly his breath hitched in his throat as he found himself staring at a black envelope._**

**_"Not again..."_**

**Trivia:**

**- The song is "Scared" by Three Days Grace**

**- I gave Brandon a 3rd Generation iPod Nano because that's the iPod I have**

**- Shortytori came up with the idea of Gabriella hanging off the bridge**


	5. Even the Devil Can Cry

**Warning: This chapter will probably take a century to read.**

**Sorry for my lack of updates. Laziness I guess. Anyways, I got back from Florida a few days ago and have been working on this and another oneshot. I'm not gonna tell you the category for the oneshot though. It's not High School Musical. You'll have to put me on alert and find out in a few days. (Clue: The category isn't HSM, but it is a musical)**

**Answers to the Contest:**

**Hollywood, Australia, S.O.S; and Hold On**

**Chapter 4 - Even the Devil Can Cry**

* * *

As Troy and Brandon walked up to the Montez doorstep, Brandon looked down at his beaten sister with sorrow and fury sketching his handsome features.

"Brick's gonna pay for this..." he seethed as he gazed over her damp hair, making it seem darker and like Brandon's color. Her chest was heaving heavily, begging for air. Her neck was bruised and marked with what looked like hickeys, which made Brandon all the more furious at Brick. Her cheeks were bruised and matched her nose, which also had a small trickle of blood dripping from her nostrils. Her flats were missing from her feet, probably at the bottom of the lake from her flailing around in a desperate, but failed attempt to stay afloat. Her eyes looked like they had eyeshaddow on them, but Brandon soon figured out that they were black eyes, probably from being punched. Her lips were swollen and bruised as well, which he guessed was from being kissed fiercely. All in all, she looked dead.

"We'll get Chad to hold him down. I'll get his lower half and you'll get his head." Troy suggested, half serious.

Brandon built a small, barely noticeable grin on his solemn face and replied "I'll get a bat and you can have a golf club. "

"Sounds like a plan bro." Troy patted his friend's bare back with a light smile. Troy looked in the window of the house and saw the sight that they saw when they had left. Everyone was sitting in the living room, curled up and crying on each other. Sharpay was leaning into Zeke's chest with multiple tissues in his lap, Taylor was tearing up on Chad's shoulder, and Gina was talking to...Troy's mouth dropped.

"Uhh...dude?" Troy spoke up to Brandon who was about to ask him if everyone was there.

"Yeah? Is everyone still there?" Brandon asked, stroking his sister's hair.

"Yeah, and a little extra..." Troy replied, confused and bewildered.

"What do you mean?" His eyes widened "Did my mom call the police? We told her not to!"

"N-no. It's not the cops, but she did call someone..."

Brandon, without asking anymore questions, opened the front door and stepped into the house, his drenched jeans dripping dirty lake water in his tracks. He could feel all eyes on him when his footsteps radiated through the first floor, but he didn't care at the moment. He secured Gabriella in his tired arms and walked into the living room, looking around for the sudden addition to the group that Troy had mentioned. He looked around the room and next to his mother, he gasped when he found that Troy was right.

The man looked up at Brandon and smiled weakly, then down at Gabriella and the grin was wiped off his face.

"Dad?" Brandon whispered, his body numbing. His arms were about to drop when he remembered that he was carrying a very important load in them.

Chase got up from his seat next to his ex-wife and walked over to his son. The older version of Brandon held Gabriella's face in his hands and whispered "My God, what happened to her?"

Troy just walked in behind Brandon and he greeted "Hey Mr. Montez. When did you get here?"

Chase answered "About an hour and a half ago. Gina called me after you two apparently left without a word. Once she mentioned Gabriella's disappearance, I grabbed my keys and sped over here."

Brandon smiled at him and thanked "Thanks for coming over."

"No problem kiddo. Now," he got back on topic "what happened here?"

Brandon held up his index finger and requested "Troy, can you take her? My arms are getting tired."

Troy nodded as Gabriella was set into his arms gently. The brunette walked over to a free spot on the other side of the room, where Kelsi and Jason were sitting. They scooted over to make room for Troy and the unconscious victim in his grasp. Part of her head was laid in Kelsi's lap while her legs were rested in Jason's due to the lack of personal space for everyone. Not that the two other teens minded. They would do anything to help out a distressed friend.

Brandon walked back over to a couch with his mother and sat in between the two. He turned to Gina and asked sweetly "Mom, can you get me and Gabby some towels? And get her a few pillows for her head."

Gina didn't need to be told twice. She darted from her spot on the couch and sped over to the closet that held extra towels since the closet upstairs was practically overflowing. She picked out a green one for Brandon and two purple ones for her daughter. She handed one to her son and walked over to her soaking wet Gabriella, who still hadn't woken up. Troy grabbed the two throw pillows that decorated the couch and fitted them under his girlfriend's head. He helped Gina wrap her up in the thick and fluffy blanket and watched it absorb some of the muddy lake water that had concealed her.

"Okay, now you can start." Troy told Brandon.

Brandon nodded "Alright here goes," He turned to his waiting father and started "Troy convinced me to help him look for Gabriella. We walked around the town for a few hours and then it started to get dark. We just started using my iPod as a flashlight before we got the feeling that we were being watched. I was about to suggest that we investigate, but then we heard someone scream 'Help!'. We figured that it was coming from the bridge and it was a girl, so we started heading over there when they screamed again 'Help! I can't swim well!'. I knew that voice now that it was held out long enough, so I took off running towards her and yelled 'Gabby, just hold on.'. She told me that she couldn't hold on anymore and I heard her drop into the lake. So I did the first thing that came to my mind. I ripped my shirt off and dove in after her. I saw her necklace sparkle under the water and grabbed her. I tried to swim up, but it was really hard, so I ran out of breath and just as I was about to pass out, Troy grabs my shoulders and pulls me up. I puked from all the water that got into my system, checked Gabby for a heartbeat, and carried her back here."

He looked around the room and took in everybody's shocked and somewhat angry expressions. The only ones who looked somewhat shocked were Taylor and Gina, but everyone else looked about ready to grab a huge knife from the kitchen and track down Brick. Out of the girls, Sharpay looked the angriest. Out of the guys, it was a tie between Chase and Troy. Chase's eyes were the color of Brandon's when he got angry or afraid and Troy's were the usual dark, stormy color.

"Do you know where Brick lives?" Chase growled.

"Yeah."

"Good. I'll come back down tomorrow with my gun." With that, Chase stood up and started for the door, his face beet red with fury. As his hand grasped the doorknob, Brandon shot up like a rocket and grabbed his father's shoulders commanding "No dad don't! That won't do anything but make things worse! Besides, he's barely home since he knows we know where he lives."

"But-" Chase started, but was cut off by a slight moan and a slight movement on the couch. Brandon and Chase spun around and gasped as Gabriella's eyes fluttered open halfway and she shook her head slightly, slowly taking in her surroundings. When the thought of being awake finally processed through her pained mind, her eyes widened and she grabbed Troy's arm, breathlessly shrieking "Brick!"

"Gabby, Gabby calm down," Troy quickly stopped her, looking her straight in the eyes "He's not here. You're home. He can't hurt you anymore. It's over. You're okay."

At the sound of her boyfriend's soothing voice, Gabriella's quickened breathing ceased and returned to normal while her wide eyes slammed shut, trying to conceal the tears beneath them. She seemed to choke on her breath for a second and it didn't take long for Troy to figure out that she was losing the battle against her tears.

"Come here." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her wet and shaking body. She collapsed into his chest and sobbed her heart out, grasping him as though if she let go he would disappear forever.

Brandon slowly maneuvered over to his panicked sister and kneeled down on the floor on one knee, rubbing her back and staying silent. Troy seemed to have calmed her down the best he could, so there was no need to give his effort.

After a moment of feeling the comforting feeling, Gabriella turned her head and the second her eyes locked with Brandon's, she whimpered "Brandon..." and threw herself into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and absentmindedly gripped his long wet hair while making his chest even damper with her tears. He looked up and, meeting Troy's eyes, nodded his head towards Lucy and Jack. Troy nodded and slowly limped to the other side of the room, giving Brandon his spot on the couch.

"It's okay baby sis, I got you," Brandon whispered, pushing himself off the ground and into the spot that Troy had just left for him. Gabriella curled herself into his lap like a 3 year old who just fell off of her bike and ran to their mother. If they weren't in the situation that they were in right now, Brandon would laugh at the sight. But he didn't. Instead, he just stroked her damp and dirty hair while rocking her back and forth.

"W-why are you w-wet?" Gabriella mumbled into his shoulder, calming slightly now that she had something else to think about.

Brandon softly kissed her forehead and answered "Someone had to save you from drowning, right?"

"You saved me?" Gabriella asked with wide eyes.

Brandon nodded "Of course. Why wouldn't I? You're my sister."

Gabriella gave him a light smile and quickly pecked his nose, whispering "Thanks Brandon."

"No problem Gabs." Brandon smiled back.

Gabriella looked around the room at the relieved faces surrounding her. Like Brandon, she noticed most were angry and few were still very shocked at the situation, especially Taylor who didn't seem to catch wind of what was happening yet. She looked around a little more until her eyes fell upon someone that she hadn't seen in months.

"Daddy?" she gasped, loosening her grip on Brandon.

"Hey sweetie." Chase smiled, stepping forward.

Gabriella squealed and, jumping out of Brandon's lap, dashed across the room and into her father's warm embrace. Chase laughed and, picking her up off the ground, spun her around like a baby, whispering "I'm glad you're okay honey."

"Me too daddy. I was so scared."

Chase nodded in understanding. Even though he didn't know exactly what happened to his daughter, from the state she was in right now was obvious that it was something bad. But that didn't cut it. He couldn't settle for just 'something bad happened'. He didn't know what happened and he was determined to change that right now.

"Gabby," Chase immediately switched his tone to a serious one. "I know you just got home and are still shaken up a little, but do you think that you can...uhh..."

"Tell you what happened?" Gabriella finished quietly, looking at the ground.

"Only if you can. I don't want to force you to do something you're not ready for." Chase quickly added, seeing the gloss that was starting to form over Gabriella's tired eyes.

"No, no it's okay," She reassured, blinking back her tears "I just need some support." She walked over to Troy and, with hesitant eyes, whispered "Can I?"

Troy didn't answer. He just took both her hands and slowly pulled her into his lap, feeling her curl into a ball like she did with Brandon.

"Mom, is my fuzzy blanket out of the wash yet?" she asked her mother.

Gina nodded "I remember putting it in the drier this morning. Be back in a second." She left the room, leaving Gabriella to play with her fingers and Troy already whispering calm and encouraging words in her ear while rubbing her arms. She seemed to melt into his voice as her lips formed a calming smile and her head found its way to his shoulder.

2 minutes later, Gina returned to the room with Gabriella's neon blue and light blue striped fur blanket and the matching pillow that had 'T+G' sewed into it by hand. Troy smiled when he saw this. Troy had done that for her as a thank you for his birthday present. He had the same thing in green. Gabriella had given him the green one as a birthday present and Troy felt so touched, he had gotten her the same blanket in blue, her favorite color, and stitched the letters with a little help from his mom. Gabriella's birthday was a week after his and the night she received her version, she led them both to her backyard and they fell asleep under their blankets in each other's grasp. It was the perfect night for them.

Troy snapped out of his memory session and helped Gabriella wrap the warm blanket around her cold body that seemed to warm up as soon as she was securely situated.

"Okay," she started, digging herself a little further into Troy's body "So it all started at the hospital this morning..."

**FLASHBACK (That Morning)**

"_Hope you're not afraid of the dark Gabby..." Gabriella read to herself "You're going to be seeing a lot of that today. Huh?"_

"_Confused?" Gabriella spun around and could feel her breath getting caught in her throat as she stared into the brown eyes that she had been warned she would see. Brick._

_Gabriella didn't have to think twice about letting the ear piercing scream escape her lips, but as soon as she did, the lights faded to black as well as her mind. She couldn't think straight as she started looking around her helplessly and knowing that it was doing nothing for her except get her hyped up more. This wasn't happening._

_Suddenly, she felt two arms grab her wrists and clamp them behind her back, which was pushed into the wall. Gabriella drew in the breath to scream again when she felt rough, chapped lips crash down onto hers to keep her silent. She froze at this as her eyes stayed wide open._

"_I knew that'd keep you quiet," Brick whispered sharply, reaching into his pants pocket and grabbing what Gabriella soon found to be tape. The sound of ripping was heard and then the sound of Gabriella's muffled cries as the duct tape was slapped over her mouth. The same ripping noise was heard again only this time longer and somehow, more unforgiving. Gabriella was spun around harshly and pinned to the wall as a large amount of the heavy duty tape was used to tie up her wrists to keep her from trying anything. She was trapped._

"_Don't worry Gabby," Brick said, mocked sweetness spilling out of his voice "We're almost done here and then we can go have some fun at my place, huh?"_

_Gabriella wanted to scream, but found no point in doing so. No one would hear her anyway._

_The sound of pounding footsteps could be heard outside the room, quickly heading for the bathroom door._

"_Damn..." Brick whispered, annoyance raining over him. Gabriella snapped her eyes shut as Brick grabbed her arms and tossed her into the storage closet on the opposite wall, crashing into various items that she was sure would leave bruises._

_Gabriella could hear Troy and Brandon's desperate attempts to run into the room to save her, but they were all futile. She didn't know why, but she suddenly regretted ever locking that door._

_Other than the boys' screams, Gabriella could hear Brick rummaging through his large pockets and whisper "Ah ha. There you are." She heard his fingers glide across the bathroom mirror with something wet covering them. She didn't know exactly what it was, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good._

_Brick placed the bottle back into his pocket and walked over to the closet, fitting himself into the black hole that the bathroom has come to be. Just as he closed the door, a loud crash bounced off the walls and something heavy thumped on the floor. A click was heard and the room flooded with light. Brandon and Troy broke in. If only they had gotten in sooner..._

_Through the slits in the bottom of the door, Gabriella could see Brandon run into the room and look around for a second before letting his eyes wonder to the mirror. He froze._

_Gabriella, still unaware of what was written on the mirror, looked at it and had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming. How could Brick do that?_

"_Do you see anything?" Troy asked, limping into the room behind Brandon, who pointed to the mirror with frozen eyes. Troy gazed at the mirror for a split second before gasping at the sight before him._

"_Gabriella..." Brandon whispered, staring at the mirror. Gabriella just wanted to scream "I'm here! In the closet! Help me!"_

"_W-what does it s-say?" Troy stuttered, referring to the letters on the mirror that were written with the blood._

_It was three simple letters that the two read aloud and Gabriella with her eyes. They stared at the dripping word and said in unison "Boo..."_

_Gabriella could feel Brick breathing softly on her neck and the sharp exhalation of breath as he laughed quietly to himself. She could just feel him smiling against her skin as he whispered "Just a few more minutes and then we can hit the road babe." Gabriella kept her eyes on her two wannabe saviors and tried to ignore Brick, but couldn't. He was too close._

"_Ryan!" Troy limped out of the room while Brandon walked up to the mirror and slashed the writing using his pointer finger. With that, he ran out of the room to go show the people that were still in Sharpay and Troy's room._

_Brick quickly opened the door and, lightly shoveling Gabriella out of his way, stepped out and over to the main door. He peered around the corner and down the hall where Troy was talking to a groggy Ryan about what happened. Ryan's eyes suddenly shot open when Troy finished and he got up from his seat, following Troy back to the bathroom._

"_Time to go Gabby," Brick announced dangerously "Lots to do and not enough time."_

_Gabriella watched with soggy eyes as Brick walked over to her with a menacing grin. The 21 year old stepped on a tower of tissue boxes and reached for the ceiling, pushing open something that Gabriella guessed was an air vent. He jumped up, grabbed it, and hoisted himself up. Once he was securely in, he reached down and grabbed Gabriella by her shoulders. He pulled her up and into the vent, moving out of the way to make room in the tiny hole. He linked his arm to hers and dragged her along with him, the tight space almost cutting off her oxygen completely. As if tape wasn't enough..._

_That didn't last long though. Gabriella soon came to figure out that they had come to a halt at the end of the vent. There was a squeaking noise and then a crash. Gabriella looked over Brick's shoulder. He had broken the window._

"_Ladies first." Brick said to her, grinning evilly again. He grabbed her by her waist and shoved her over to the cracked opening that he had created. Gabriella gulped. That was the smallest window she had ever seen. She couldn't possibly get through it without getting cut by the remaining glass shards at the same time._

_Oh, how wrong she was. She soon found Brick whispering in her ear seductively "Put your legs through first. I'll take care of the rest."_

_Gabriella followed orders, not wanting to get hurt anymore than she knew was coming. She put both legs in front of her and bit her lip as she felt the sharp glass stab her legs and knees._

"_Now," Brick commanded again "Shove your hips through. It won't hurt as much after this."_

_Gabriella made a noise that sounded like she was saying "What?!"_

"_Do it!" he hissed, getting impatient._

_Gabriella whimpered into the tape and counted to three in her mind. She inhaled deeply through her nose and, with all her might, rammed her hips out of the window, feeling her jeans rip as well as the skin underneath it. In a second, blood came pouring out of her hips._

"_Good girl," Brick stroked her hair "Now was that so hard?"_

_Gabriella wanted to retort, but found it extremely difficult with tape blocking her words._

"_Make sure to land on your feet when you hit the ground." Brick warned seriously. He pushed Gabriella's head and arms through the window last. She only fell about 5 feet since they were on the first floor and the vents came to a slant somewhere along the journey. That was the only good thing about this whole situation._

"_Here I come." Brick said in a sing song voice. He did the same thing as her, only turned his hips in a diagonal direction instead of straight and head on. This prevented him from getting cut._

"_Let's go." He ordered. He grabbed Gabriella's arm and pulled her to a sleek black car that seemed to be his. Gabriella raised an eyebrow. How could someone like Brick drive a car like this?_

"_Stole it." Brick answered her unasked question, seeming to read her mind. Gabriella rolled her eyes. __**Should've known...**_

"_Get in." He opened the door and pushed Gabriella into the front seat. The brunette rounded the car and entered the driver's seat, taking out his keys. He started the car and drove away from the hospital, leaving Gabriella scared and shaking._

_--_

"_Home sweet home..." Brick grinned menacingly as he pulled into the driveway of what Gabriella figured was his home. Her eyes widened. This is the house that Wolf bought for him? This is the house that he technically __**stole**__ from Isabelle's family?_

_Brick grinned at her reaction of the sight and chuckled quietly to himself, pulling his keys from the car and opening the car door. As the door slammed, Gabriella flinched. The car shook. Brick really was strong. That's what scared her more than anything._

"_Come on princess." He pulled her by her arm out of the car and let her fall to the ground, letting it look like an accident. Gabriella glared up at him, but as soon as she did so, she found Brick leaning down and, carrying her bridal style, lifted her up into his arms and whispering "I'm gonna have __**so**__ much fun with you baby."_

_Gabriella whimpered into the duct tape and shut her eyes tightly, trying to fight back her tears as Brick's hands grazed her butt. She was in for one hell of a time..._

"_No need to be nervous," Brick laughed, noticing her trembling body "I'm sure you'll agree that this will be very...satisfying."_

_Gabriella would have gulped, but the lump in her throat prevented her from doing so._

_Her eyes snapped open when she found herself being removed from Brick's arms and laid down onto something soft. Oh no. Brick's bed._

"_Now that we're out of public," Brick got onto the bed beside her "We can take this off." He grabbed hold of the edge of the tape on Gabriella's mouth and pulled it off of her face harshly, leaving a dark red mark and a small cut. Gabriella bit her tongue to keep from crying out in pain._

"_Now gorgeous, what's on your mind right now?" Brick asked, sitting up and stroking Gabriella's cheek slowly, making her cringe._

"_You sick bastard..." Gabriella seethed lowly._

_Brick sent fake hurt to his eyes at Gabriella's reply. "That hurts Gabby."_

"_Don't you dare call me that, you perverted freak!"_

_Brick laughed out loud. "But sweetie, I haven't done anything to you...yet."_

"_I'm gonna go ahead and pretend you didn't just say 'yet'." Gabriella hoped._

_Brick shook his head and moved his hand down to her neck, putting slight pressure on her sensitive spot "Oh believe me when I say this. You'll be wanting to dump that murderous boyfriend of yours in a heartbeat when I'm finished with you."_

"_He didn't kill anybody! And neither did Brandon! Samantha was just stupid enough to not see the signals Brandon gave her and kill herself!" Slap._

"_Let me explain a few rules here Gabby," Brick warned, getting up from his spot next to her and getting on top of her, straddling her body "Rule number 1: don't make me angry. That includes talking about my family. They mean the world to me and I don't accept anyone talking shit about them. That's the half the reason I agreed to do this for my uncle."_

"_What's the other half?"_

"_It's fun."_

_Gabriella laughed shortly "I didn't notice you say anything about me not being able to trash talking __**you**__. Where does that come in?"_

"_I could care less about what you say about me. I'm a criminal. I've had people talk crap about me and mistreat me most of my life. I'm used to it. But I'll do anything to keep my family safe and if something happens to them, I avenge them. Hence, Bolton and Montez."_

"_So you're gonna hit me every time I trash-talk you're idiotic family?" Slap._

"_That answer your question? And might I add, they just get harder every time you say something about them."_

_Gabriella rolled her eyes and nodded, looking away from him. This tough act that she was putting on was starting to wear off after he slapped her._

"_Rule number 2: you're not allowed to in any way, shape, or form fight back. Let's test this." He flipped Gabriella over and unwrapped the tape from her wrists. He then forcefully shoved her to the carpeted floor, hearing her land with a thump and groan in pain. He swung his legs over the edge of the tall green bed and landed on beside Gabriella, towering over her._

"_What are you – AHHH!!" She suddenly clutched her right hip and screamed out in pain, trying to recover from getting kicked by Brick. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and growled "What the hell was that for?!"_

"_A test. Test number 2." He grabbed Gabriella by the roots of her hair and dragged her over to the wall, grinning as she yelled and shrieked and kicked, begging Brick to let go of her. She even tried uncurling his fingers but they wouldn't budge. She was trapped._

_Brick grabbed her by her arms and slammed her up against the wall, gripping her shoulders and ripping her skin "Now Gabby, what did I say about fighting back?" With every word that left his mouth, he tightened his grip on her, making her blood slip between his fingers._

_Gabriella just whimpered and let 2 salty tears leave her eyes shamefully. How dare she cry in front of this monster!_

"_What did I say?" Brick shook her roughly, signaling her to answer his rhetorical question._

"_D-don't d-do it..." Gabriella quietly cried. Brick put on a puppy dog pout and, in a baby voice, replied "Aww. Baby Gabby's crying. Why don't we fix that for her?"_

"_What are you talking about?"_

_Gabriella could tell that the brunette in front of her was trying desperately not to laugh as he answered "Would you do me a favor and not go anywhere?"_

"_Why would I go somewhere? You're just gonna track me down and kill me." Gabriella spat back._

_Brick gave a very wide smile and rested his forehead against Gabriella's while he laughed his butt off. "Sweetie, whoever said I would track you down again? I'll just go after your friends if you try anything, okay? Would you like that?"_

"_I hate you."_

"_I know," Brick shrugged "So back to the original card on the table, would you do me the honor of not moving?"_

"_While you do what?" Gabriella asked, masking the worry and paranoia in her voice with anger._

_Brick kept his eyes locked with Gabriella's while he reached up to the first button of his shirt, slipping it through the slit and moving onto the next one._

"_Wh-what are you doing?" Gabriella gulped, not being able to hold back the worry this time._

"_It's a little hot in here. Hope you don't mind." Brick grinned, moving onto the third button._

_Gabriella didn't know what else to do but swallow hard. Brick had a look in his eyes that showed that this was so much more than just the heat. He was up to something and Gabriella didn't want to know what that something was._

"_Ah, there we are." He finally managed to undo all five buttons quickly without a problem. Gabriella watched as Brick shrugged the shirt off of his body and let it fall to the floor, revealing his body. Gabriella's mouth dropped. She hated to say it, but if Brick weren't a murderous Wolf descendant, she would've made out with him on the spot and completely forget about Troy for a moment. He was so built. _

"_Like what you see?" Brick bragged, congratulating himself for turning the air conditioning before he left for the hospital. As soon as he stepped into the house, he started sweating and now, just as he predicted, it paid off. His body was covered in sweat, complimenting his toned abs._

"_I...I...you...you're-" Gabriella stammered, not being able to find the words. He was hot!_

"_So hot Brick, I wanna make out with you right now, but I can't because I'm still together with that gay prick I call a boyfriend'. Is that what you're thinking right now?" Brick finished for her._

_Gabriella blinked a few times, giving her a short time to think and put her words together. "No that's not what I'm thinking. I'm wondering why you just took your damn shirt off in front of me."_

_Brick shrugged "I told you. It was hot in here." He leaned forward so that Gabriella could feel his hot breath against her skin and his lips were less than a centimeter away from hers. "Don't you agree?" He whispered._

_Gabriella tried to discretely dig her head back as far as she could into the wall behind her and said "Yeah, but-" _

"_No buts," Brick cut her off "We need to make you feel more...comfortable." He slid his thumbs under her sweater and pushed it off slightly "This sweater looks fantastic on you, but I'm afraid it has to go."_

"_N-no, it's fine," Gabriella desperately refused, trying to move away from him but couldn't because of the wall "It's fine. It's not even that hot in here."_

"_But you're sweating." Brick observed, seeing the sweat stains on her underarms and neck._

_Gabriella gulped again, knowing that she couldn't fight her way out of this one._

_Brick slid the off halfway and said "I'm gonna need you to back away from the wall a little bit please."_

_Gabriella's first instinct told her not to, but she remembered back to a few minutes ago when Brick said "Don't make me angry." Holding her breath, she stepped forward and froze. Why wasn't Brick moving?_

"_You didn't expect me to move, did you?" There he went, reading her mind again. Gabriella, without thinking, nodded. Brick smiled and shook his head. "Well then you have much to learn."_

_Once Brick completely removed Gabriella's gray sweater and let it drop to the floor, he let his eyes wash over her body in an attempt to make her feet uncomfortable and cornered. It worked._

"_Answer something for me." Brick said softly, taking hold of her forearms and stroking them, giving her goose bumps; half from being violated like this and the other half because someone as hot as Brick was touching her._

_Gabriella just nodded, losing her voice like air._

"_What, have you lost all ability to speak?" Brick raised an eyebrow, looking rather pleased with himself for making her this way in such a short time._

_Gabriella felt another fresh batch of tears run up to her eyes, begging to be let out. Brick sensed this. He let his hands drift down her body until they reached her hips, his eyes never leaving hers. Gabriella couldn't even swallow. _

"_Go ahead and cry Gabriella," Brick whispered in her ear, working on the first clasp of her jeans "I've seen all the tears in the world. It's nothing new to me."_

_**Dammit...**__As he slid down the zipper of her jeans, she let her cold tears fall onto his strong shoulder, making him smile into her ear. Making sure to let his tongue graze over her earlobe, he whispered almost inaudibly "You're in my hands now. No need to worry...too much." As those last two words were spoken, Gabriella found herself cringing and crying as Brick captured her ear in between his teeth, running his tongue over it and making sure to make it bleed._

"_Why are you doing this?" Gabriella managed to sob. Brick only separated from her ear by about half a centimeter to croon "The only way to let someone know how much they hurt you is to pain them equally. Your brother killed my niece so I'm going to worry him out of his mind by thinking his sister is in trouble."_

"_He didn't kill her..." Gabriella whispered as she felt her jeans slowly slide down her legs and Brick's fingers linger on her skin._

"_Stop trying to protect them. And even if he didn't kill her..." he moved closer to her lips "It's still fun."_

_Gabriella closed her eyes, knowing what was coming. In a split second, Gabriella found a pair of lips covering her own as Brick forced open her mouth with his tongue, making her gag._

"_Are you still a virgin Gabby?" Brick murmured into her lips. Gabriella froze. There was only one reason he would be asking that question..._

"_W-why?" she asked helplessly, horrified._

_Brick didn't answer right away. He just took hold of the bottom of Gabriella's shirt and effortlessly lifted it over her head._

"_Oh, no reason..." he smugly replied, kissing her fiercely again. Gabriella just cried harder. For an extremely hot house, her body was especially ice cold._

_Her eyes snapped open as she felt her back detach from the wall and her body getting pulled forward towards the middle of the room. Brick's bed was in the middle of the room._

"Oh God Troy, I'm sorry..."_ she thought to herself as the thought of getting raped entered her mind._

_Brick laughed quietly in her neck and muttered "Maybe now the world can know that the innocent little Gabby isn't so innocent after all."_

"_Please, please don't..." Gabriella begged, pure terror and desperation dripping from her voice. Punch._

"_No fighting back, remember?" Brick smiled, wagging his finger in front of her face teasingly. Gabriella reached up to her eye and winced. It didn't take long to realize that she now had a black eye._

"_Sorry about that baby, but you know how impatient I get." Brick teased, reaching behind her and fiddled with her bra hook._

_Gabriella looked to her left. Brick moved his arm. A perfect opportunity to run. _

_She waited until he looked away from her completely to kick him off of her and dash off of the bed. She ran over to the door and, flipping the lock off, opened the door, preparing to run until the door slammed in her face. She gulped, hung her shoulders in defeat, and let out a watery sigh. She looked a little to her right and saw a hand pressed against the door attached to a muscular arm. She turned around slowly and saw Brick standing there, his arm propped against his hip, his eyes closed, and his head shaking slowly, showing that he was disappointed._

"_Gabby, Gabby, Gabby..." he finally looked up at her and dropped his hand from the door. Gabriella gasped when Brick started walking towards her with a serious look in his eyes, showing that he wasn't happy._

"_You didn't honestly think you could get away, could you?" he growled, watching as she backed up fully into the door, pressing her back into the wood to try to get as far away from him as she could._

"_I...I..." She couldn't finish. Brick curled his fingers into a fist and launched it towards her nose, hitting his target. Gabriella was on the floor in an instant._

"_Brick, I'm sorr-" She was cut off by a size 13 foot coming in painful contact with her stomach, right on top of her other bruise._

"_Sorry doesn't cut it when you run away from somebody." Brick seethed at her, kicking her one last time. Gabriella waited until he drew back his foot to curl up into a ball and protect her churning stomach. Brick rolled his eyes and dropped to his knees, clutching Gabriella's face in between his fingers. "Sorry. Turtle trick won't work for you this time." With that, he punched her hard with other hand and slammed her in her nose, getting blood all over his knuckles._

"_Please stop. I'm sorry!" she shrieked, curling into another ball and burning her face towards the floor. Brick once again rolled his eyes and used his foot to kick her onto her back, giving him access to her face again. Gabriella howled in pain as he punched her other eye, making that one bruised as well._

_She gasped as Brick grabbed her hair and dragged her over to the wall once again, taking it by the roots. Gabriella bit her tongue, but couldn't prevent the scream from escaping her throat. It sounded strangled and horse. She was now in a full blown panic attack. Brick had complete control over her 110 percent and no matter how much she tried, she was just too weak to fight back._

_Her stomach was then crushed against the wall, disturbing her black bruises. Brick twisted Gabriella's arm around her back and squeezed so hard, it gave her a bruise that bled._

"_Listen to me Montez," Brick said so lowly, his voice shook with anger "I've seen hell. And trust me, it's not pretty. I've had nightmares too. I've seen my uncle reach up to me and growl 'Join me Brick. Join the rest of us and I promise that you'll spent the rest of eternity with the people who truly care about you. No more prison, no more running, no more __**pain**__. You'll be fine. The devil will take care of you.' As hard as it is to believe, I'm the same as you three. Afraid to close your eyes because you're afraid of never waking up! So just for future reference, don't say I don't understand what you're going through because I do know half of it. Life isn't easy for me. Keep that in mind when you go back to your perfect little life. A life where people actually want what's best for you and you actually return the favor. I give everything to my family, legally or illegally, and I've never heard one single 'Thank you'."_

_Gabriella stood there, stunned and unable to move. Not from the pressure against her body, but from Brick's somewhat touching words. He was right. She thought that life was a breeze when you're a professional criminal like him. You know how to escape the law and how to get away with everything without a trace. But Brick came from a pretty hard family. No one cared about him. They were all selfish and ignorant of what kind of protection they had. Gabriella had everything Brick had and more with the addition of hating him for hurting her friends and family. For this, she felt just like Brick's family. Selfish._

_She soon found herself flung onto the bed and told "Get dressed..." With that, Brick left the room, slamming the door behind him and leaving Gabriella to cry to herself, pained and very, very confused._

**END FLASHBACK**

Gabriella took a deep, shaky breath, afraid to look up at the probably shocked and angry people surrounding her. She finally gathered the courage to lift her head and meet everyone's eyes.

"Are you serious?" Taylor gasped, her eyes wide and her face pale.

Gabriella nodded "Dead serious."

"That little son of a-" Chad growled, but Taylor cut him off with a hand over his mouth.

"I can't believe this..." Sharpay shook her head with Zeke rubbing her arm to help calm her down.

"I hope he burns in hell with the rest of his family." Chase seethed, balling up his fists.

"Hey Mr. Montez, you still have your gun right?" Chad spoke up. Chase nodded.

"Good. How about you come back down tomorrow and we'll all jump him?" Chad asked, completely serious. Chase nodded and replied "I have really sharp kitchen knives that you guys can use while I shoot him down. Sound like a plan?" Chad got up from his spot on the other side of the room and slapped hands with Chase, grinning like mad.

Gabriella sighed in frustration, got up, and broke their hands apart saying "Guys, did you not here a word I just said?"

Chad nodded "Yeah. We heard that you got molested by some 21 year old freak that abused you! You're just gonna let him get away with that?!"

Gabriella shook her head "But just think. He's got it bad too. No one in his family cares about him! He provides everything for them and he's never heard a real, genuine thank you! The only reason they keep him around is because he's good at getting what they want for free! He's unappreciated!"

Chase's mouth hung open in awe at his daughter's words. He was about to retort when Sharpay beat him to it. "Gabby, that's complete bullshit! I thought you were smarter than this! You can't honestly believe him!"

Chase finally spoke up "Gabriella, I know I've had a rocky past, but I thought I raised you better than this. Listen to us when we say don't fall for this. It's all just an act."

Gabriella groaned. She sat back down on the couch between Troy and Jason and held her head in her hands, completely confused. She didn't know what to believe.

"Look guys," Troy spoke up "Gabriella's had a long day and probably needs rest. It's getting late, so I think you should all go home. We'll see you tomorrow."

Loud sighs filled the room and one by one, people started filing out of the Montez residence, saying goodbye to their friends. Chase was the last to exit the room but before he left, he walked over to Gabriella and, kissing her forehead, said "I'll call tomorrow to check up on you, okay?"

Gabriella nodded, throwing her arms around her father. "Thanks for coming down daddy. I love you."

"I love you too sweetie. I'll see you later." He gave one last smile and, saying goodbye to Gina and Brandon, stepped out of the house and drove down the road back home.

Gina sighed and stood up, announcing "Troy's right honey. Go ahead and clean yourself up then get to bed. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

Gabriella nodded and tried to stand up, but Troy pulled her down gently, saying "Gina, I was wondering if I could take her for a walk for a little bit before she turns in. If that's okay with you."

Gina seemed to ponder over the thought for a second before answering "Sure. Just have her back in an hour. Where do you plan on going, by the way?"

Troy shrugged "Just around the neighborhood I guess."

Gina nodded "Okay, that's fine. Remember, I want her home in an hour."

"That won't be a problem."

Gina smiled "Good night you three."

Brandon stood up "Night mom." With that, Gina walked up the stairs towards her room. When she left, Brandon turned to the two and said "Gabby, you might want to wash up a little. I wouldn't want to walk around in those dirty clothes if I were you."

Gabriella nodded and stalked off up the steps, headed for the bathroom. Brandon waited until she was completely gone to say "Troy, you know what she's saying about Brick is complete bullshit, right?"

"Are you indicating that you don't believe her or-"

"No I believe he said it," Brandon reassured "I just don't think it's true. I mean, come on. This is Brick we're talking about. Certified badass who doesn't give a damn about anybody or anything, including his family. It's just a bunch of crap."

Troy nodded "I know. Brick was just trying to get inside her head and he succeeded."

Brandon told him "Troy, you have to talk some sense into her tonight. Get even further inside her head and tell her that Brick was just lying and none of it is true. Can you do that for me?"

Troy replied "I won't only do it for you, but I'm doing it for her. She can't believe that asshole. She's just gonna drive herself crazy and bail on us because we don't believe her."

Brandon nodded "Thanks man. I can always count on you."

"That's why you call me your best friend." Troy smiled, stepping up to Brandon and offering him their secret handshake.

15 minutes later, Gabriella slowly stepped down the stairs, now clad in grey sweatpants, a pink tank top, and a Hollister sweatshirt to match the pants. "Okay Troy, I'm ready to go."

Troy smiled at her and walked over to the end of the staircase, linking Gabriella's arm with his. "Then I guess we should get going."

Brandon smiled and rolled his eyes at the couple, opening the front door for them. "Have fun kids." As Gabriella walked out first, Brandon pulled Troy back a little by his shoulder and said "If she's falls asleep and you have to carry her home, bring her to my room. I don't want her to sleep alone tonight."

Troy nodded "And what if you're asleep? You've had a long day too and knowing you, you'll fall asleep as soon your head hits the pillow."

"Wake me up. Just don't take her to her room. I want to make sure she's safe."

Troy once again nodded and assured "Don't worry. She'll be fine and if something happens while we're out, I'll make sure that she's safe."

Brandon smiled "Thanks man. Now go. Your lady's waiting."

Troy rolled his eyes and, with one last smile to Brandon, stepped out into the night and closed the door behind him.

* * *

**Yeah, it's long. And, as expected, most of you voted not to have Gabriella raped, so I just scared her (and hopefully you) into thinking that she was. I've got to warn you though, later in the story, there is going to be rape and you won't have any say in it...**

**REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**

**Mini Contest:**

**The JB's released their song 'Tonight' on iTunes. Which sentence does Brandon say the word 'Tonight' in?**

**Sneak At Next Chapter:**

**- Troyella overload**

**_"You sure you're okay Gabby?" Troy asked the brunette beside him, stroking her hair._**

**_Gabriella nodded "I'm fine when I'm around you. I love you."_**

**_"I love you too..." he whispered, silencing himself with a kiss on her lips._**

**- Troy/Brandon friendship**

**_"...You've done good with her Brandon. You should be proud of yourself."_**

**_Brandon, feeling touched by Troy's words, said softly "Thanks bro. You have no idea how much that means to me."_**

**_"Hey, what are best friends for?" Troy smiled._**

**- Trouble's ahead for someone**

**_"Hey, weren't Sharpay and Ryan supposed to be here?" Zeke asked the group around the pool._**

**_Jason nodded "Yeah, they're never late for anything."_**

**_Suddenly, Ryan came running into the building, his face pale and his eyes wide. His whole body was shaking while he held a hand behind his back._**

**_"Ryan," Brandon concerned "What's wrong?"_**

**_Ryan didn't respond. He just pulled his hand out from behind his back and set the object down in Brandon's hand. Brandon looked down at his hand and suddenly his breath hitched in his throat as he found himself staring at a black envelope._**

**_"Not again..."_**

**Trivia:**

**- The next chapter was supposed to be the end of this chapter, but I had no idea it would be this long**

**- My brother is a size 13 in shoes, so I just used that for Brick**

**--**

**REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**


	6. Not Again

**Damn, I meant to get this out 2 days ago to celebrate the new Jonas album (Which I bought :)) but I couldn't find time to finish it :(**

* * *

Troy and Gabriella walked hand in hand down the street, taking in the darkness and smells of the beautiful Albuquerque night. Gabriella looked up at the stars and sighed, loving how they sparkled and glittered against the smooth, blackened sky.

"Have you seen anything anymore breathtaking?" She whispered with a grin.

Troy nodded "Yeah I have," Gabriella gave him a questioning look before Troy added "I'm staring it in the eye."

Gabriella smiled and gave Troy's hand a light squeeze. Troy, not being able to hold it in anymore, pulled her towards him by her wrist and wrapped his arm around her back, holding the back of her head in his hand.

"I love you so much." He whispered into her hair, rocking her back and forth slowly and inhaling the aroma of her strawberry-scented hair.

"I don't know where I'd be if you weren't with me right now..." Gabriella sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sure you'd be fine without me." Troy shrugged, separating from her body, but still grasping her hand tightly.

Gabriella shook her head and replied "Troy, if it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead. You know I'm not the best swimmer, but when I'm in full out panic, there's no doubt in my mind that I would've drowned."

"But Brandon's the one who jumped in to save you." Troy reminded her.

Gabriella added "But knowing him, he was probably really depressed because I got kidnapped. You probably talked him into looking for me. Am I right?"

Troy just rolled his eyes and leaned in, catching her lips in a loving kiss. "Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. What do I get if I tell you?"

"I don't know," Gabriella flirted, grinning seductively and walking towards him slowly "How does some heated making out sound to you?"

"Music to my ears..." Troy gave up the non-existent battle between him and his girlfriend and, pushing her up against a tree, crashed his lips into hers.

"You taste so much better than him." Gabriella told him between kisses.

"Just call me your remedy." Troy shrugged flirtatiously.

These actions continued for the next 10 minutes and, after the series of moaning and feeling each other up, they found themselves cutting themselves off from each other in fear of wanting to go further. They were now just walking down the street again, hand in hand.

"Troy?" Gabriella spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"What's your goal for senior year?"

"What's yours?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes, but replied anyway. "Uhh...making the honor roll."

Troy's eyebrows knitted together "Okay, something that you've never done before."

Gabriella giggled "Fine," She thought it over for a few moments before her face lit up. "I wanna ride a mechanical bull."

Troy stopped dead in his tracks. "You wanna _what_?!"

"What?" she shrugged "Don't lie to me and say you don't want to either."

He shook his head and smiled "Okay fine. When I was 11, me and Brandon were walking around the mall and they were having some celebration for some old person. Anyway, we were walking around and suddenly heard a scream, a thump, and then cheering. We followed the noise and found a girl on the floor on top of a mat laughing her ass off. We looked around and right behind her there was this big, black mechanical bull and later we found out that it was the guy's granddaughter convincing her grandpa to get on."

"Did he?" Gabriella asked, totally into the story.

"Yeah. He fell off and broke his hip but was laughing anyway."

The two laughed at the final comment and Gabriella said "Oh yeah. That was the day Brandon came home all dizzy with that cowboy hat on his head. I remember that. Why didn't you get on?"

"Because I saw how far Brandon flew in the first 10 seconds of riding the thing." Troy shuddered, remember the yell erupting from Brandon's mouth when he was flung off the machine and landed on the floor 10 feet away.

"I bet that hurt." Gabriella shook her head slowly.

"Probably. It gave him a bruise on his shoulder the size of an orange." Troy shrugged, just about to walk past a hill when he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

Troy grinned "Have you ever been up that hill?"

Gabriella followed his gaze and shook her head "No."

Troy gave a toothy smile and said "Well you won't be able to say that anymore. Come on." He grabbed her by the hand and started running up the hill, Gabriella barely staying on her feet.

"Troy, where are we going?" she giggled.

"You'll see." He simply answered, his eyes bright with enthusiasm and excitement as he heard his girlfriend giggle and protest behind him.

They finally came to a halt at the top of the hill, Gabriella stumbling behind him and trying to catch her lost balance. She finally grabbed his arm to stabilize herself and demanded "Okay Troy, where are we?"

"Look." Troy whispered, pointing at the view in front of them and smiling again. Gabriella looked out and gasped. She hadn't seen anything so beautiful in her entire life. It was a view of the city, the lights reflecting off of each other and complimenting the pretty colors, especially the lake right beneath their feet. The buildings' reflections decorated the flowing water as did the lights. The stars in the dark sky topped it off and brought tears to Gabriella's eyes.

"It's gorgeous up here. I can't believe I've never seen it." Gabriella shook her head and blinked back the water in her eyes. She looked down near the lake and, near the bridge, something caught her eye. "What's that?"

"Hey, that's Brandon's shirt," Troy looked down at the black and white Hollister shirt sprawled across the grass. "He'll probably want that back tomorrow."

Gabriella giggled quietly and just vaguely remembered him telling her to hold onto the bridge, but she let go. "I can't believe he risked his life to save me." She shook her head in disbelief.

"I can," Troy told her, rubbing her arm and letting her fall into his arms. "Gabby, he's your brother and he loves you. He'll do anything to protect you just like me and the rest of the gang. We all love you."

Gabriella smiled "Yeah, I can tell. Sharpay had the hugest tear stains on her face when I woke up in the living room. Was everyone really making that big a deal out of it?"

Troy nodded "Your dad was furious. You should've seen the look on his face when Brandon explained what happened. He even started to walk out the door to go back home and get his gun, but Brandon stopped him and you woke up."

Gabriella said "Typical dad." They stood there looking out at the scenery in front of them for a few more minutes before Gabriella suggested "Can we sit against the tree?"

Troy nodded again "I was just about to say that. My legs are getting tired." The two walked the short journey over to the tree on the other side of the hill and, sitting down, rested their bodies against the rough, but comfortable bark. Sitting in between his legs, Gabriella settled herself in Troy's waiting arms and closed her eyes with a sigh.

"You okay?" Troy asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin in her hair.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah, but I meant from the attack. Did he hurt you too badly?"

Gabriella smiled at his genuine concern and replied sweetly "I'm sore, but you're like my painkiller. I can't feel my body when I'm with you."

"I love you..." Troy whispered, finding himself leaning in ever so slowly, his eyes closing.

"I love you too." Gabriella silenced them both with a kiss on his lips, placing her hand on his cheek and sinking further into his arms.

After separating, they decided to stay in that comfortable position for the next half an hour, just staring up at the stars and telling each other what they thought the groups looked like, reminiscing in the past elementary school years, and more pointless games that they made up off the top of their heads.

"Okay," Troy said when it was his turn in the random game. "I say...beach."

"Easy," Gabriella shrugged, having to think up a story of something that happened in her life relating to the word. "When we were 5, me and Brandon built a sandcastle together and after 3 and a half hours of hard work, we get my mom to take a picture and just as she's about to click, some fat guy waddles over, trips, and falls into it. Brandon screams, cries angry tears, throws sand at the dude, and beats him up."

Troy threw his head back as a long laugh escape his throat. "I remember him coming back and pouting the whole time. He said 'Santa's cousin killed our sandcastle.'."

"You believed him, didn't you?" Gabriella raised an eyebrow.

Troy's eyes quickly shifted from left to right as he replied "No..."

Gabriella rolled her eyes "Uh huh. That's exactly why you and him planned to convince Santa to yell at him at the next family reunion."

"Then it was lunch time and my mom gave us ice cream for desert." Troy goofily smiled with a dreamy look in his eyes. He then snapped back to reality and stuttered "I-I mean, that is _SO_ not what happened!"

"How was the ice cream?" Gabriella asked, biting back the laugh begging to be released.

Troy spaced out again "Homemade and it was AWESOME!!"

Gabriella just giggled at his short attention span and laid her head onto his chest. "Thanks Troy."

"For what?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"For helping me recover from today. You really are my knight in shining armor."

Troy kissed her forehead and told her "Only for you baby. Only for you..."

--

Troy felt Gabriella fall limp on his body 10 minutes later. He looked down and smiled when he found her curled up and sleeping peacefully with a small smile on her face. Not wanting to wake her but knowing that he needed to get her home in 20 minutes, he slowly and gently shifted her so that he could pick her up bridal style. He secured her head on his shoulder and, with one final kiss on her cheek, started off to the Montez house.

He arrived 15 minutes later, his arms numb and tired from carrying the slightly heavy load and, knowing that Brandon left the door open for him, stepped through it and shut it behind him. He was about to carry her to her room when he remembered Brandon saying "If she falls asleep, bring her to my room. I don't want her to fall asleep alone." He shrugged and followed his best friend's orders, agreeing with him. Brick couldn't be trusted especially after Gabriella pissed him off.

As Troy came up to Brandon's bedroom door, he heard screaming coming from the TV and confusion passed through him. Not that horror movies scared Brandon but he just wasn't one to watch them.

Troy twisted the knob and pushed the door open, revealing just what he had predicted. There was a black eyed, pale skinned kid on the screen screaming "Your God is no match for me!" Yup. He was definitely possessed.

The brunette walked over to Brandon's bed and grabbed hold of his shoulder, shaking it and loudly whispering "Brandon. Brandon, wake up."

Brandon moaned and flipped from his back onto his side, mumbling something Troy thought was "Leave me alone. I'm in dancing heaven."

Troy rolled his eyes and tried again "Izzy just called and she's supposed to be landing in 10 minutes."

Brandon's eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly, saying "Why didn't she call me?"

He looked over at Troy and, not seeing Gabriella from the darkness, said "Troy? What are you doing here?"

"Gotcha." Troy grinned smugly, stroking Gabriella's hair. Brandon glared at him and growled "This better be good. I just dreamt that me and the team won the state championship and just as Izzy was about to kiss me, you show up."

Troy rolled his eyes once again and said "Oh, take your dance talk somewhere else. Here." He laid Gabriella down on the bed beside Brandon and saw the mood in the black haired teen's eyes switch automatically. He smiled and after moving some of the bangs out of his twin sister's face, he pulled her onto his lap and said "Thanks man. I just wanna make sure she's safe."

Troy shrugged and nodded "Yeah me too. Wise choice." He looked at the TV screen and saw the boy fall to the floor, sweat cascading off of his face. He opened his eyes and whimpered "Is it gone?" His older sister and the sister's boyfriend hugged him and cried "Yeah David. You're fine, he's gone."

Troy blinked with a disgusted look on his face, said "What the hell is this? I thought you didn't like horror movies."

Brandon smiled "I don't, but this show is just really addicting. I just came across it a half an hour ago and fell asleep when they were talking to the priest about the exorcism."

"What's it called?"

"A Haunting," Brandon answered, watching as the screen changed to a few weeks later and the boy was playing soccer with his family happily "It's a show where people find out that they're in a haunted house and some of them get possessed and try to get help. Seriously, it's creepy as hell but very, _very_ entertaining."

"Sounds..." Troy searched his mind for something to say "interesting." Brandon just rolled his eyes and smiled at him, turning his attention to the next episode of the show.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Troy waved and started for the door, but stopped and turned around when Brandon called "You can sleep over if you want."

Troy thought it over for a maximum of two seconds before shrugging "Ehh, why not?" He walked over to Brandon's bed and jumped in, landing beside Gabriella who was still sleeping. "Thanks."

"No problem," Brandon shrugged "Me and Gabby just came ran to your house uninvited last night, so I guess we're even."

Troy reminded him "Dude, that was an emergency. We always run to each other if we have nightmares and second, we always go to each other's house uninvited. Hell, we drive each other's cars if we feel like it."

Brandon laughed "Yeah, when my mom asks where my car is I just say 'Troy's got it'. She still doesn't know why we do that."

"Friends use each other's stuff," Troy shrugged, a smile building on his face "It's just natural."

They laughed for a while more before Troy spoke up again. "Dude?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember that fight we had last year in Gabriella's room? I think you were doing laundry or something and I snuck up her balcony to apologize about the picture."

Brandon's forehead creased, showing that he was thinking hard due to the fact that they had had a lot of fights last year. He finally nodded "Oh yeah, I remember. We were fighting about how I babied her and stuff. Thanks for pointing that out by the way."

"No problem."

Brandon asked "Why'd you bring it up?"

Troy sighed and confessed "I was complaining about you babying her and not letting her have her own freedom and other crap that I regret saying. Then I think I went too far..."

"By saying what?" Brandon asked, remembering the fight but not the details.

"By saying that you were acting just like your dad when he was drinking. How she just got over him and needed a brother, not another dad to boss her around and control her life."

Brandon nodded with a soft look in his eyes "I remember that. You were right about that. I went a little overboard and became overprotective."

Troy shook his head "No, I wasn't right. I was just being selfish and wanted to win another fight. You were just doing your job and being her brother. You looked out for her and protected her the best you could, especially from me when she wouldn't talk to me. You've done good with her Brandon. You should be proud of yourself."

Brandon, feeling touched by Troy's words, said softly "Thanks bro. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Hey, what are best friends for?" Troy smiled.

"That's the question everyone with that label should ask you." Brandon joked back, having Troy join him in laughing. After the laughter died down, Brandon looked down at the beautiful brunette in his arms and continued to stroke her hair, pure love flashing in his eyes.

"You know," Troy broke the comfortable silence "You and Izzy will make great parents someday."

Brandon, not totally aware of what he just said, started "Yeah, I-wait, _what_?!" he finished, his eyes wide.

Troy shrugged innocently "What? You know how to take care of people, you're a great communicator, you can read people just by looking at their eyes, and you love kids."

Brandon shook his head "Nah, you're crazy." He paused for a second, thinking over the thought a bit more. "You really think so?" he finally said, smiling.

Troy nodded enthusiastically "Totally! It just makes sense. And if you take a few mental notes from your mom, that's all you need."

"Yeah, she is a pretty good mom, isn't she?"

"I call her my second mom for a reason."

Brandon grinned "Yeah, but who are you to be talking?"

"Huh?"

Brandon explained "You and Gabriella totally have a future together! I mean, I can see it now," he looked off into space and put a hand on Troy's shoulder "You have been married for a year now; you have 2 kids, a boy and a girl who, by the way, are some pretty hot kids. He has long, curly brown hair with your blue eyes and his own smile that lights up a room immediately. Your daughter has Gabby's black hair, only straight and a little past her shoulders. She has rich chocolate brown eyes like me and Gabby's only a little lighter. Her smile's really cheeky, but still adorable none the less. And finally, you have a house in the suburbs with a little brown dachshund named Frankie."

Troy stared at his best friend blankly, just blinking every now and then. "You my friend," he finally spoke up "have officially gone insane."

Brandon smiled "Ahh, the reason everyone loves me."

"Conceited much?" Troy raised an eyebrow.

Brandon shrugged "Hey, we all are dude. No reason to hide it."

The two just laughed again, then enjoyed the second comfortable silence that they had encountered that night. "Dylan..." Troy whispered, taking his turn in finger combing through Gabriella's hair.

"What was that?" Brandon asked, hearing his friend's voice but not his words.

Troy repeated "That's what I wanna name my son if we have one. Dylan was my grandpa's name."

Brandon smiled "I bet he'll get a lot of ladies with that name."

"Hell yeah! Just like his dad!"

The two shared a quick laugh before Brandon asked "What if you have a girl?"

The brunette shrugged, still stroking Gabriella's hair "Ehh, I'll leave the girl stuff to Gabriella."

Brandon gave an understanding nod. "You know," he suggested "She's been raving over the name Stella lately..."

Troy perked "Perfect! Then it's settled. What about your kids?"

Brandon gave it some thought before answering "Hmm...Adam and Brittany."

"Explain please."

"Well my mom was gonna name me Adam when I was born, but decided on Brandon when my dad said he didn't want me having his middle name."

Troy looked at him in slight awe and said "You never told me that."

"You never asked."

"Why would I?"

Brandon shrugged "I don't know, use your imagination."

"Whatever you say," Troy rolled his eyes, handing Gabriella over to her brother "Anyways, why Brittany?"

Brandon said "I think it was Izzy's grandma's name before she died."

He looked over at Troy, whose eyes were wide and blinking quickly like he just heard something he couldn't believe. "...it was." He finally spoke up.

"Why so surprised that I know?"

Troy explained "No, it's just that...Izzy never talks about our grandma, even to me or her mom. She must trust you a lot if she told you."

Brandon gave a small smile, touched that Isabelle had the heart to tell him how she felt instead of her cousin or own mother. "Wow," he nodded slowly "I guess she does..." It was then that he realized that his love for the blonde had grown immensely at her level of trust for him.

"Anyway," Troy sighed "You wanna go back to school shopping this Saturday?"

Brandon nodded "I'm gonna hit up Aeropostale like there's no freakin' tomorrow."

They continued to talk, laugh, and goof off for hours until they finally said their goodnights and slipped off into sleep, Gabriella resting between them.

--

...The Next Day...

The next day, the gang minus Brandon, Sharpay, and Ryan found themselves talking and splashing around in Lava Springs, Sharpay and Ryan's country club. To get away from the horrific events of the past day, they decided to meet up at the pool and have fun with the last few days of summer.

"Ha!" Chad and Taylor shouted "We won again!"

"Oh please," Gabriella and Troy rolled their eyes. Troy accused "The only reason you won is because you kicked me in the legs to make me drop Gabriella."

"Yeah whatever dude," Chad turned to the rest of the group and called "Who's up for another round of Chicken?"

"We are!" Kelsi yelled, pulling Jason by the wrist and swimming over to the dark skinned couple. "Next are Gabriella and Brandon." Jason announced.

"Wait, where is Brandon?" Taylor asked, looking around.

"Dance practice until 2:30." Troy answered. A week before the end of school last year, Brandon had walked in on the school's hip hop dancing team practicing in the gym and watched their whole practice, realizing just how much he missed dancing. He had stopped taking lessons when he was 7, but had still danced every chance he got. Michael, who had been captain at the time, invited Brandon to join back up and after a short night of thought, Brandon rejoined the next day. To no one's surprise, the whole team voted him captain a few days later.

10 minutes and 3 games of Chicken later, Brandon came running through the men's changing room in his swimming trunks, calling "Hey guys! What'd I miss?"

"Hey dude," Chad smiled, waving him over to the deep end "Nothing much, just playing Chicken."

"How'd practice go?" Kelsi asked, resting her body against Jason's.

Brandon smiled wide "Great! We've almost perfected our routine for the back to school dance in 2 weeks. We just need to work on our ending and we're set."

"Sounds good," Taylor nodded.

"Hey, weren't Sharpay and Ryan supposed to be here?" Zeke asked the group around the pool.

Jason nodded "Yeah, they're never late for anything."

Suddenly, Ryan came running into the building, his face pale and his eyes wide. His whole body was shaking while he held a hand behind his back.

"Ryan," Brandon concerned "What's wrong?"

Ryan didn't respond. He just pulled his hand out from behind his back and set the object down in Brandon's hand. Brandon looked down at his hand and suddenly his breath hitched in his throat as he found himself staring at a black envelope.

"Not again..."

--

...10 Minutes Earlier...

Sharpay stood in her bathroom, finishing the last of her makeup. Her and Ryan had just come back from visiting their grandmother, which was why they were late.

She turned the light out in the bathroom and, closing the door behind her, skipped down the stairs to the front door. Grabbing her purse, she called up the stairs "Ry, you ready to go?"

No answer.

"Ryan?" Sharpay walked up to the end of the stairs and called again "Hey, you there?" Again, no reply.

Knitting her eyebrows together, she turned around to grab her cell phone, but instead froze on the spot when she found herself less than 6 inches away from a certain 21 year old man.

"Hola Ms. Evans..." Brick grinned, grabbing her by the wrist and covering her mouth after letting her scream bloody murder.

The last thing Sharpay remembered was hearing heavy footsteps race down the stairs after she felt herself being stuffed inside the closet, totally defenseless...

* * *

**I know, I know. "WHAT'S WITH ALL THE DAMN CLIFFHANGERS?!" Well it wouldn't be a suspensful story if I didn't have cliffhangers, right? Besides, if you've ever written a cliffy for one of your stories, you'd know the good feeling it gives you. And it's really fun to read the reviews of cliffies :)**

**REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**

**Mini Contest:**

**Why did I have Troy name his kids "Dylan and Stella" and Brandon name his "Adam and Brittany"? Clue: Troy's is very obvious, but to figure out Brandon, you have to know who "plays" Brandon and Isabelle...**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- The gang's outraged, especially Ryan**

**_"It's all my fault..." Ryan whispered to no one in particular._**

**_"Ryan, don't blame yourself for-"_**

**_"It's my fault!" Ryan exploded, standing up "If I had heard her call the first time, I could've prevented this from happening! Now she's probably hurt and it's my fault!"_**

**- Find out what happened to Sharpay**

**_(Sorry, can't give away too much :))_**

**Trivia:**

**- The scene where Brandon rejoins the dance team was supposed to be in the last chapter of GFN**

**- Troy was supposed to join the dance team with Brandon, but I decided not to**

**- When Brandon says "...And finally, you have a house in the suburbs with a little brown dachshund named Frankie." I put that because I have a little brown dachshund named Frankie :)**

**- I just came across a show called "A Haunting" a few days ago. Everything Brandon says about it is true. It's extremely creepy but addicting. It comes on the Discovery Channel everyday at 1-3 :) Make sure to check it out in a few hours. The part that was playing on Brandon's TV is from the episode called "Where Demons Dwell"**

**REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**


	7. Back for Round Two

**Sooo sorry about this guys! God, I was on writer's block for the longest time! Anyways, school just started like 2 weeks ago and I'm already swamped. I've had all weekend to finish an English report, but I spent all weekend working on this looong chapter just because I love you all that much! So yeah, this is longer than last chapter. Last one was 12 pages and this was 16 or 17 I think. Oh well...**

**Answers to Mini Contest:**

**Dylan - Zac Efron's little brother  
Stella - Vanessa Hudgens's little sister  
Brittany - Isabelle is played by Brittany Snow  
Adam (which only 5 or 6 people got right) - Brandon is played by Joseph ADAM Jonas! Adam is Joe's middle name! Brandon is NOT Adam Brody. Check the trailer.**

* * *

"Let me see that." Troy spoke up after a short second of silence. Brandon handed him the envelope and, turning to Ryan, said "Did you open it yet?"

Ryan, still pale as a sheet, stuttered "N-no. T-too scared."

Brandon gave an understanding nod and a comforting hand on his shoulder "Don't worry." He asked Troy "Can you open and read it? He's really shaken up."

"That's what I was planning to do." Troy ripped open the black envelope and opened the red paper, taking a deep breath, and read aloud "_You never know what you could miss while blasting your earphone's Ryan. Could be a funny joke, a secret, or something more...hidden. If you catch my drift...'_."

"Oh my God..." Gabriella whispered, covering her mouth with her hand in a gasp.

"Son of a bitch..." Chad growled, snatching the letter from Troy's hand and reading over it himself. His cheeks tinted to red as he seethed "I'm gonna kill him."

"Right behind you buddy." Jason agreed, his own face turning crimson.

"Wait a second," Brandon interrupted "Let's just calm down and talk this through before doing anything. We can get Brick back later."

"We can't talk here," Troy added, cutting into the conversation "Let's just go to Ryan's house and-"

"No."

"Huh?"

Ryan repeated "We can't go to my house. My parents are sure to be home by now and I don't want them to know about this. They'll throw a fit, call the police, and probably get the whole government to look for her. Besides, he'll probably only keep her for a few hours like he did with Gabby."

"Ryan, you don't know that." Kelsi said "She made him mad, so I think he just wanted to get rid of her."

Ryan argued "But Sharpay will probably do the same thing. You know her. She'll probably be shocked for a little bit and then sass him like she always does. Think about it."

The group stayed silent for an agonizing few minutes. Brandon finally sighed and nodded, saying "He's right. Once someone gets her heated, she won't cool down until you know how angry she is."

"I guess it makes sense," Taylor shrugged.

"If we keep quiet about this to your parents," Chad turned to Ryan "Can we kick his ass next time we see him?"

"I'll hold him down." Ryan replied with a grin. Chad was so protective of his friends, especially the females.

"So whose house are we going to?" Gabriella asked generally.

"Mine," Troy spoke up, stepping forward "My parents aren't home and won't be until 10."

Everyone nodded in agreement and stalked off to their respective cars, driving off to the Bolton house.

--

"Okay Ryan," Troy started, sitting down on his favorite of the three sofas in his living room. "Tell us what happened as soon as you got home."

Ryan sighed and started to explain. "Me and Sharpay both got showers since we were playing volleyball with our aunt and got dirt all over us. I got done first, so I figured that Sharpay would take forever to get ready since she's...you know."

"Concerned about how she looks more than anyone we know?" Gabriella held up an eyebrow.

"Exactly. So I started up my iPod to pass the time. I saw her walk out of her room and go downstairs, but I figured that she was just going down to get her purse because she forgot some of her makeup. A minute later, I hear this ear-splitting scream coming from downstairs, tore off my headphones, and ran downstairs. I looked around, but didn't see anyone. I was about to call out her name, but instead, I saw that," he pointed to the envelope on the coffee table "On the wall. After a few minutes of staring at it, I grabbed it and rushed to the club."

The room remained quiet for a few long minutes of everyone thinking through his story.

"I can't believe this..." Gabriella murmured, running a hand through her hair.

"This is insane," Troy sighed.

Brandon nodded "I know. This is the most abnormal thing I've ever been through..."

The "This is Crazy" game was played for a series of confusing minutes before they all heard a faint whisper of "It's all my fault..." Ryan whispered to no one in particular.

"Ryan, don't blame yourself for-"

"It's my fault!" Ryan exploded, standing up "If I had heard her call the first time, I could've prevented this from happening! Now she's probably hurt and it's my fault!"

"Ryan," Gabriella said softly, pulling him back down to the couch by his shoulder "Calm down. Just calm down. It's okay. This isn't your fault. If you had gone the first time she called, Brick would've gotten you too."

Ryan took a deep, shaky breath as he held his head in his hands and whimpered "I know. I...I'm sorry about that. It's just that she's my sister and it hurts knowing that she's in trouble and I could've prevented it."

Taylor spoke up "Ryan you didn't know this was going to happen. Even if you weren't listening to your iPod, Brick would've gotten away with her before you got there."

Ryan hung his head while he let his friends' words sink into his system like a sponge. He was just too confused to say anything after that.

"Would it help if we went to go look for her?" Jason shrugged sweetly.

Ryan shook his head "No. Brick's probably got her locked up in some closet underground or something. He wouldn't kill any of us so there's no point in looking. She'll turn up sometime."

Chad, after moments of pondering the situation, slowly asked "Sooo...we can't tell your parents and we can't look for her. Is there anything we _can_ do?"

Troy sighed "I guess we just have to sit back and hope for the best to come."

Kelsi added "Yeah, we need something to take our minds off of it. What's on TV?"

Troy picked up the remote and pressed the on button. He surfed through the listings and shrugged "Scrubs?"

"I won't be doing any laughing, but it's worth a shot." Zeke mumbled, holding his head in his hands.

For the next 3 and a half hours, the worried gang made quiet small talk and watched, but didn't pay attention to, different shows including Scrubs, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Guy, and another hour of Scrubs.

"Elliot is so stupid," Brandon rolled his eyes "She has sex with J.D. how many times and she's still getting married to Keith?"

"I'll never understand women..." Troy muttered.

"Oh that reminds me," Brandon piped up, turning to Troy "I left my phone at home and I need to call Izzy. Can I borrow your phone?"

"It's out in my car. Be right back." Troy stood up from his spot and stalked over to the door, opening it and not looking down at his feet. As soon as he took the first step, he found himself almost tumbling down the steps due to tripping over a large mass of something on the first step. He looked down and his heart skipped a beat, his face paling. It couldn't be...

"Oh my God..." he whispered to himself, bending down and eyeing the beaten creature before his eyes. Their blonde hair covered in bloody dirt and their eyes bruised and closed, signaling that they were unconscious if they didn't acknowledge Troy tripping over them. The girl's pink tank top was almost ripped off her petite body and her she didn't buy her denim shorts destroyed. Her nose was bleeding from both nostrils and her lip was torn down the middle, still bleeding heavily and flowing down her bruised chin. She looked dead.

Troy pressed two fingers to her neck to check for a pulse and thanked God that he found one beating softly against his fingers. He carefully picked her up bridal style and, shaking her slightly, whispered "Sharpay?"

No reply.

"Shar, come on. Wake up." Troy tried again, panic rising within him. She had to wake up. She just had to.

Suddenly, the beaten blonde in his arms groaned and stirred, shifting her position slightly. Her brown eyes just barely lifted, revealing pain and shock as she mumbled "Get away from me..."

"Sharpay, wake up." Troy said a little louder this time.

"Leave me alone. I didn't do anything..." Sharpay was now frantic in Troy's grasp, squirming and struggling to break free.

"Sharpay, it's me!" he exclaimed loudly, careful not to scare her but loud enough for her to shriek "Leave me alone Marissa!" She looked up and as soon as her eyes connected with Troy's, she said weakly "Where is she?!"

"Shh, it's okay Sharpay, just calm down." Troy soothed, stepping back towards the front doorway to enter the house again "Just calm down."

"What happened?" she whimpered, grabbing his arm and digging her head into his chest, as if afraid of something.

"We'll explain inside." Troy whispered, trying to calm her down the best he could. He could feel her chest rising and falling rapidly against his own and her entire body trembling in his grasp. Whoever did this to her truly scared her to death.

Sharpay didn't say anything else. She was too busy trying to recover from the shock that had taken over her body and wouldn't let her shake it off.

Troy closed the door with his foot and, slowly walking down the hall, announced "Uhh, guys?"

"Yeah?" Ryan called from the living room.

"I've got a surprise for you..." Troy called uncertainly.

"What do you mean?" Taylor asked, turning around.

Troy didn't need to say anything more as he walked into the room and all eyes fell on him and the body in his arms. Gasps and shrieks filled his ears as feet ran across the room and over to Sharpay, whose eyes had closed but was still conscious.

"Sharpay!" Gabriella yelled, running up to her boyfriend who had the blonde in his hold. Troy walked over to the couch closest to him and set Sharpay down gently, shifting the bangs out of her closed eyes. The first person to sit down beside her was Zeke, who was frantic in worry that his girlfriend might still be unconscious.

"Shar," he cupped her face in his hands "Baby, wake up. Come on, just open your eyes and tell me you're alright."

Surprisingly, Sharpay seemed to hear him. Groaning, she shifted in his arms and let her eyes flutter open, revealing anxiety, hurt, and...anger?

"Oh thank God." Zeke sighed, pulling her into a tight, but not too tight, hug. Sharpay hugged him back and whispered "Why are you shaking?" She could feel the goosebumps on his skin while he was trembling and shaking from his core. It was almost as if he was afraid of something.

"Why wouldn't I be?" the dark skinned teen replied, stroking her hair "You were gone for 4 hours. You scared us all to death."

"Really?"

"Of course," Brandon piped up, stepping forward and looking down on her "We were scared that he might've hurt you."

"And from the looks of it," Taylor growled through gritted teeth "He did a damn well good job of it."

"Guys..." Sharpay started in a sigh.

"I swear to God, he's gone too freakin' far this time." Ryan seethed.

"Guys..."

"Brandon, can you give me your dad's number? I wanna know if he's still up for the whole gun and knives thing."

"Yeah, it's-"

"GUYS!!" Sharpay finally screamed, taking everyone by surprise. They all jumped and looked at her with alarmed eyes, wanting to know why she was probably defending Brick.

"What?" Gabriella broke the short silence "He beats you to a pulp and-"

"Brick didn't do this." Sharpay cut in.

"Huh?" The whole group, minus Sharpay, said in unison.

The blonde sighed and started to explain the last 4 hours. "Brick barely did anything to me. He just sat back and watched."

"Then who did this to you?" Kelsi asked "His friends?"

"Close, but no." Sharpay answered. She turned to Troy and said "Do you remember when Izzy was telling us that Sarah's worst enemy burned down her house?" Troy nodded. "What was her name?"

"Uhh...Marissa, I think. Why?"

"Did you know that Marissa is Brick's niece who has very strong, violent friends?"

"Wait, Marissa did that to you?" Brandon gasped, getting the feeling in his gut that told him the name was very familiar...

"Yeah. Her and her 3 friends beat me for about 10 minutes at a time. Then they would take turns. The last time Marissa beat me up, she said something like 'This is for being friends with the cousin of a heartbreaker!'."

"What the hell does that mean?" Jason asked, totally confused.

Brandon tuned out his surroundings, feeling the memory flooding back into his brain.

_Nick answered "This guy named Brick wanted me to die for breaking up with his niece Marissa or whatever her name was..." _**(God's First Nightmare, Chapter 23)**

"Marissa..." Brandon whispered to himself, his eyes widening in recognition.

"What?" Troy asked, hearing him.

Brandon explained "Last year after the dance where I saved Izzy, my mom called my cousins Nick and Kevin and asked them to fly into town because I was depressed. Nick said something about how Brick targeted him because Nick broke up with Marissa." He also thought back to how Nick said that Brick was after someone else now. He now knew that it was him for breaking up with Samantha. _Wow, that family takes breakups hard..._

"So that's what she meant..." Sharpay nodded. "Wait, Marissa is only 13. How old is Nick."

"He just turned 16. He only went out with her because he felt bad for her. She only has about 3 friends."

"Wow I guess she doesn't mind older guys." Gabriella shrugged. "So you got beat up by a bunch of 13 year olds?"

Sharpay rolled her black eyes "Shut up. Brick tied up my hands and legs so I couldn't move. But if I could, let me assure you that I would've opened a can of fresh whoop ass on them."

"Wow, good to see they didn't do any brain damage." Zeke smiled "You're still the sassy princess we all know and love." Sharpay smiled and laid her head in his chest.

"Shar, you need to tell us everything you can remember." Brandon stated seriously, watching Ryan sit next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

Sharpay sighed and nodded "Fine. Okay it started when I was getting ready for the pool..."

**FLASHBACK (4 Hours)**

"_Hola Ms. Evans..." Brick grinned, grabbing her by the wrist and covering her mouth after letting her scream bloody murder._

_This couldn't be happening to her. Sharpay thought that after Brick kidnapped Gabriella, he would see how much that put a strain on the group and that would be the end of it. Obviously not._

_Suddenly, there came pounding footsteps on the stairs, clearly belonging to Ryan since he was the only other one in the house. Then again, Brick appeared out of no where so who knew what other surprises he had up his sleeve._

"_Too late Ryan," Brick whispered to himself in satisfaction, pulling Sharpay towards the closet next to them and closing the door to keep them hidden._

"_Sharpay?!" Ryan yelled, looking around frantically. "Shar, where are you?!"_

_Sharpay made a move in Brick's arms, but the brunette prevented her from moving any further. She was trapped._

"_Sharpay!" Ryan screamed one last time before setting his eyes on the black envelope hanging on the wall in front of him. He walked up to it slowly and pulled it from the tack it hung on. "No..." he whispered, running to the kitchen, grabbing his keys, and dashing out to his car._

"_That was quick." Brick shrugged, stepping out of the clean closet and, pulling Sharpay with him, walked over to the door saying "I'm gonna have so much fun watching you."_

_Sharpay seethed wobbly "W-watching me d-do what?"_

"_You'll see." Was all Brick replied before opening the door and heading off east to his car, which was parked down the street behind a tree so that Ryan had no chance of seeing it. He still kept a firm hold on her wrists behind her back as they walked the short 30 second distance to his car._

_Sharpay had the same reaction to Brick's car that Gabriella had. "You stole this?"_

_Brick nodded "I see she explained everything. Get in."_

"_And what if I don't?" Sharpay replied, sass and anger spilling out of her voice._

_Brick raised an eyebrow and chuckled "Wow, you __**are**__ sassy! That'll just make this all the more fun to watch."_

"_Make __**WHAT**__ fun to watch?!" The blonde was now getting extremely impatient with him._

"_Like I said before, just wait until we get back to my place. Just get in the car and I won't have to do to you what I did to Gabriella."_

_Sharpay gave a deep-throated growl as she looked him deep in the eyes, searching for a sign of what he was up to but found nothing. She sighed angrily and stepped forward, putting her hand on the car door, only to be pushed up against the car with her wrists still held behind her back. "What the hell are you doing?!" the blonde screeched, feeling her wrists being cut from Brick's unclipped nails._

_Brick laughed as he dug duct tape out of his pocket and wrapping it around Sharpay's wrists. Once finished, he whispered "You didn't expect me to let you get in without having your hands tied, did you?"_

_Just as Sharpay was about to retort, she felt him slap a piece over her mouth. She mumbled and complained into the tape before Brick shook his head, muttering "Very rarely do I have to do two layers Evans..." With that, he ripped off another piece of tape and layered the first strip._

_Brick opened the door and shoved Sharpay in, laughing a bit as she struggled and kicked to let herself free. "Oh yeah. Definitely gonna have fun with this one..."_

_--_

_When Brick arrived at his house, he parked the car and exited the vehicle, slamming the door and strolling over to Sharpay's side. He opened the door and said "You ready to have some fun?"_

"_Mmm mmph!" Sharpay tried to speak through the tape but other than her failed speech, she jumped in her seat and kicked her feet, trying desperately to break free._

"_I'll take that as a yes." Brick grabbed her waist and dragged her from the car, shutting the door afterwards. He threw the blonde over his shoulder and ignored her heels that were kicking him in the face violently, begging and demanding that he let her go that instant. Again, he just pushed her actions to the back of his mind and walked up the steps to his front door, taking out his keys and unlocking the door._

_As soon as he reached the other side of the green door, he whistled and called into the building "Lucy! I'm home!"_

_Sharpay lashed out once more and mumbled "Let me go!"_

_Brick sighed "As you wish blondie..." With that, he threw her off of his shoulder and she landed on the ground with a great thud._

_The brunette kneeled down to Sharpay's low level and whispered "I guess you'll be wanting that duct tape off, huh gorgeous?"_

_Sharpay made some kind of growling noise and glowered daggers into Brick's eyes, not making any attempt to answer him than with the actions. "I thought so." Brick shrugged. Taking hold of both layers of the tape, he teased slowly "One, two..." and then ripped it clean of her face._

_Giving a howl of pain, Sharpay flipped over onto her stomach from the impact of the rip. "Go to hell Wolf!" she cried angrily._

_Brick shrugged "I'm already there Evans. Oh yeah," he bent down again and whispered in her ear "Now the fun can begin."_

"_Oh yeah, 'cause God knows that wasn't fun enough." Sharpay spat back sarcastically, turning ever so slightly to face him._

"_Haha, funny," Brick leaned forward so that Sharpay could feel his breath on her cheek "If you thought that was fun..."_

"_Then this'll be the time of your life..." came another voice in the room. Sharpay turned around and confusion coated her face as her eyes landed on the owner of the voice. In the doorway of the room stood a little girl who looked to be about 12 or 13 years of age. Her brownish-green eyes bore holes into Sharpay's as her hand propped against her hip, trying to intimidate the blonde. Her long, brown curls lay down her back like a waterfall, reminding Sharpay of the hair she had before Gabriella moved 2 years ago._

"_Who are you?" Sharpay asked, confused. Why would Brick bring another girl here? Unless he wanted to beat her too..._

"_Evans, meet my niece Marissa," Brick answered for her, having Marissa grin evilly and scaring Sharpay for a little bit. "She's going to be my little assistant for the evening."_

"_Assisting you with what?" Sharpay asked, not tearing her eyes away from the young brunette across the room._

"_You'll see..." Marissa grinned and, dropping her hand from her hip, slowly walked over to Sharpay, swaying her hips and keeping her head high the whole time. When she finally approached the blonde, she studied her face for a few seconds before freezing. Suddenly, she glared at her and slapped her hard across the face._

_Falling back with a scream, Sharpay seethed "What the hell kid?!"_

_Marissa giggled viciously "Oh yeah. We're definitely ready for her."_

"_Good," Brick grinned, staring at Sharpay with anticipation in his eyes "Bring 'em out."_

"_Bring who out?" Sharpay asked, her voice cracking slightly._

"_Gladly," Marissa smiled, turning around to face the doorway and calling "Guys!" Sharpay gulped at the tone of her voice. She sounded so mysterious, so threatening. She had to squirm a little to reduce the flipping of her stomach._

_3 new faces appeared in the room, each one the same age as Marissa. And they looked pissed. _

"_Evans, I'd like you to meet my friends, Amanda," Marissa pointed to a tall brunette with mild acne and piercing green eyes. Hate filled her eyes as she glared holes into Sharpay's face, her arms crossed and leaning against the wall._

"_...Anna," the short, dark skinned girl had large round eyes and a tight frown on her face. She looked ready to snap at any minute._

"_...and Courtney." Courtney scared Sharpay more than Anna. She owned blue eyes that were just a little paler than Troy's, but not nearly as beautiful. Long, shiny blonde hair that fell a few inches above her backside and bangs that hung in her eyes, framing her pretty face. Her lips were naturally pursed and her nose stuck up in the air like she owned the place. She reminded Sharpay of the way she used to be when her and Troy dated._

"_W-what are t-they doing here?" Sharpay's voice wobbled as she spoke, making everyone in the room laugh at her fear. That confirmed it. She was gonna get the shit beat of her._

"_Just here to help out a friend..." Anna's high pitched voice answered. Sharpay cringed._

"_H-help her do what?"_

_Courtney stepped forth and punched her head on the nose. "Anymore stupid questions you want to ask?!"_

"_N-no..." Sharpay looked down on the hardwood floor and saw two drops of blood make their way out of her nose._

_Trembling, she lifted her head with large puppy dog eyes and whimpered to Brick "Why did you bring me here? I thought you just wanted Troy and Brandon."_

_Brick rolled his eyes and answered "I thought it would be obvious by now. What's the best part of making fun of someone?" Sharpay shrugged._

"_Answer him!" Amanda lashed out her fist and hit Sharpay right in the cheek. She fell back with a yell and shouted "Okay!!" She turned back to the male in the room and whispered "Their r-reaction?"_

"_Bingo," Brick grinned "And what do you do if they don't react?"_

"_S-stop making fun of them."_

"_Or..."_

"_K-keep making fun of them until they d-do react?"_

"_Exactly," Brick nodded "Bolton and Montez's reactions to them getting harassed are good, but I've come to notice something." He squatted down in front of Sharpay and whispered "They're just like me. They see someone they love and care about and react to it. They either get hurt or they get mad. Simple as that. You got it now?"_

_Sharpay nodded briskly and closed her eyes, not being able to handle his staring eyes._

"_Good. Ladies," Brick snapped his fingers and the other four girls in the room came to his side in an instant "You know what to do?"_

"_Definitely." Anna grinned, her eyes growing even larger and making Sharpay back up a little._

"_Excellent. If you need me," he walked a few feet to the left and sat down in a big green sofa "I'll be right over here."_

"_Let the games begin..." Marissa said excitedly, cracking her knuckles._

"_Showtime." Courtney grinned, rolling her neck back and forth to prepare her bones for what she was about to do._

"_Please, please don't..." Sharpay sobbed, curling into a ball the best she could with her legs and wrists tied._

"_Sorry Evans. Nothing personal." Brick teased from the sidelines. He looked to his left and gasped "You guys made me popcorn?"_

_Amanda shrugged "Every good show isn't complete without it. Enjoy."_

_Brick grinned "You're too kind." He popped a kernel into his mouth and, holding up his three fingers, announced "3...2...1..." The girls surrounded Sharpay, Amanda in the back of the shaking, crying victim._

"_Sic her."_

_As soon as those words left his mouth, Sharpay felt a knee come in contact with the back of her head, sending her straight to her side in pain. She tried to cry out, but was stopped by someone kicking her in the head another punching her face to muffle it. She felt a heavy weight being laid on her waist and hands holding her head down to the floor. Sharpay looked up to find Amanda's brown hair and Marissa's stone cold, unforgiving eyes begging "Please stop, please I'm begging you! Have mercy!"_

_Marissa just laughed in her face and growled "Sorry bitch. All out of mercy." With that, she curled up her fist and socked Sharpay in her left eye repeatedly, not hesitating for a second and feeling superior._

_The next 3 hours and 40 minutes were all a blur to the blonde. The foursome beat her for 30 minutes at a time and then took a 10 minutes break, only to come back and surprise her with more torture. Every time they left her with her misery, she would just sob her eyes out and wish that Zeke or Ryan were sitting right beside her, telling her that everything was alright and that she was getting out of here safely. But she knew that miracles only happened in fairytales. And this most definitely wasn't anything that she enjoyed hearing about as a kid._

_After her fourth and final beating, Sharpay was wavering in and out of consciousness fast. The girls had destroyed her shorts, ripped her top, ripped out two handfuls of her hair, ripped her lips down the center, and possibly broke her nose. She had blood dripping from her skin everywhere she looked and bruises covering her tanned skin, making her look like an alien._

_Courtney threw one more punch at Sharpay's stomach before Brick called "Okay guys, it's almost 6. We're done here. Good work."_

_Marissa nodded at her friends to stop beating Sharpay and walked over to Brick, sighing "Okay, we beat up your little bitch. Pay up."_

_Brick rolled his eyes and reached down into his black pocket, pulling out his wallet. He drew 4 fifty dollar bills and handed one to each girl for their work. "Gee Marissa. Can't you just do one thing for me just because I'm family?"_

_The brunette scoffed "Yeah right, like that's ever gonna happen. We just did this to go shopping. I wouldn't care if she beat you up, just as long as you paid us to get her back. Now hurry up and get her in the car so you can take us to the mall that you __**didn't **__blow up."_

_Brick rolled his eyes and sighed. "As you wish, 'princess'..."_

"_And don't you forget it Wolf." Marissa snapped her fingers and walked out the door with Amanda, Courtney, and Anna behind her._

_As Sharpay felt Brick take her into his arms to dump in the back of his car, she could've sworn she heard him mumble "Spoiled bitches..."_

--

"...so that's when they drove me here and dumped me on your doorstep." Sharpay finished her story with a sigh. She felt Zeke's grip around her tighten and Ryan's hand stroke her hair a little harder.

"So he just sat there and watched them beat you senseless?" Jason gawked, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, pretty much." Sharpay sighed again, letting her head fall into Zeke's chest while Ryan rubbed her arm in a comforting motion.

"For the love of God!" Chad growled, tightening his grip on Taylor's hand. Taylor just stroked his back in an attempt to calm him down.

"I second that," Brandon raised his hand "This is getting ridiculous."

"What are we supposed to do?" Gabriella shrugged "We don't know who he's gonna go after next."

"No one if I have anything to do with it," Chad warned.

"It's gonna be us going after him next time." Kelsi angrily said, much to everyone's surprise. She hardly ever got mad.

Troy stopped them "Guys, guys calm down for a second and let's answer one question at a time. Now we don't know who he's gonna go after next, but I'm guessing it's gonna be one of the girls."

"He's right," Taylor nodded "First Gabby, now Sharpay. Me or Kelsi could be next."

"Which we won't let happen!" Chad defended, him and Jason pulling their girls as close to them as possible.

"Hold on a second," Jason spoke up, turning to Brandon. "Brandon, does Brick know that you're dating Isabelle?"

Brandon shrugged "I guess. His family probably mentioned it to him when they told him to..." His voice trailed off to nothing as he realized what Jason was implying. "Oh my God..."

"Brick could go after Izzy too." Gabriella worried aloud, her eyes widening.

"And we can't protect her if she's all the way in California." Troy gasped, scared at the thought of Isabelle getting hurt again.

"Wait, does he even know where she lives?" Sharpay asked hoarsely, her throat scratchy from a beating.

"I don't know, but it's possible that Brick might've followed her home the last time she was here." Jason thought aloud.

"Wouldn't she have called us if he did?" Gabriella asked.

"Probably not," Taylor replied "He could've told her to keep quiet about it."

"She wouldn't even if he told her to," Troy disagreed "Isabelle can't keep a secret to save her life, much less a threat. She told me who dragged her into the janitor's closet when she almost got raped, she told me that she was dating Brandon on the night of their first date, and she even almost called him when I told her to surprise him 2 weeks before the end of school last year. Trust me, she would've told us if he did something to her."

"Well I'm not taking any chances," Brandon angrily said, grabbing Gabriella's phone that was sticking out of her pocket. "I'm calling her right now."

"Brandon," Troy tore the phone out of his hands "Just trust me on this one. She would've told someone, especially you. And if not, Sarah or her mom would've noticed something different going on with her and told me or you."

"Brick could've told her to act like nothing was going on." Brandon shot back, reaching for the phone again.

Troy threw the phone over to Chad and repeated "Brandon, just listen to me! Brick didn't do anything to her yet, trust me. Plus he would've warned us about it with a letter or something. Remember, he wants us to worry about her and if he told us that he did something, we would worry. Okay?"

Brandon sighed, closing his eyes and nodding. "Yeah, I get it. Sorry."

"It's okay man, you were just worried about her. At least you care about her." Troy patted his shoulder and gave him a light smile.

Sharpay stated generally "Guys, I think me and Ryan are gonna head on home, but I just wanna say thank you so much for helping me out with this. It really means a lot to me that you guys care about me."

"Of course we do. We love you." Zeke leaned down and kissed her nose affectionately, avoiding her lip because of the tear.

"Yeah, I think the rest of us are gonna get home too." Troy said "Glad that you're okay Shar." Sharpay smiled at him.

Ryan helped his twin to her feet and helped her to the door. After saying one last goodbye, the two disappeared through the door and shut it behind them.

--

...Brandon Later That Night...

_Brandon stirred awake and, with blurry vision, looked around at his surroundings. It took a few seconds to realize that he was back at Lava Springs, sitting in front of the pool. His eyebrows knitted together as he tried to stand, only to fall over on his side in a heap. He looked behind him to find his hands tied behind his back with layer after layer of heavy duty duct tape. Same with his legs, his ankles stuck together to prevent any movement. Trying to say "What's going on?" he realized that he couldn't. A thick layer of tape stretched across his face, around his head, and back to his face. He was trapped._

_Suddenly, a deep laugh erupted from someone's throat behind him. Brandon flipped over and froze as he stared into the most frightening pair of brown eyes that he had ever seen. Brick._

_Brick stepped over to Brandon and still smiling, grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground effortlessly._

_As Brick's hand tightened around Brandon's neck, Brandon just realized what was about to happen. He struggled and squirmed, but nothing made a difference. Brick wouldn't let go._

_Brick neared the edge of the pool. Brandon looked down and screamed into the tape in horror. Brick was about to drop him into the deep end. He was about to be dropped into 9 feet of water with no way of getting above it with his hands and legs tied. _

_Brandon's head snapped back over to Brick and shook it vigorously, begging him not to drop him in. Brick's eyes gleamed in the moonlight as another chuckle filled Brandon's ears._

_Brick's grip loosened. Brandon struggled more than ever now. A few tears escaped his eyes as he shook his head again, trying to tell Brick to let him down on the ground._

_Brick leaned into Brandon's ear and whispered "Aint déjà vu a bitch?"_

_Brandon's eyes widened._

_Brick let go of his neck._

_Brandon splashed into the pool, flailing his arms and legs around wildly in ultimate desperation. But it was no use. He couldn't swim like this. He was drowning._

_His lungs burned. He had forgotten to take a breath before he was dropped and exhaled as soon as Brick let go of him. His oxygen level was running too low. He needed air._

_He felt something underneath him. The bottom of the pool. He looked up at the top of the water and whimpered into the tape. He could see Brick's black silhouette hovered above the pool, watching him float to the bottom. His eyes pierced through Brandon as he watched him die slowly._

_Brandon could feel his chest tightening and his heart stopping. His vision blurred to black and his eyes fluttered shut._

_The last sound he heard was Brick's merciless laugh, lulling him into a dark, painful death..._

Brandon shot up of the couch, awakening himself from the nightmare. His shirtless body covered in a cold sweat, showing his fear. The television light glared into his wide eyes, but he didn't notice. He was too busy trying to regain his lost breath, but couldn't. He heard heavy footsteps running down the steps and turn into the living room. "Brandon!"

Brandon could just barely feel Gabriella's hands gripping his shoulders and shaking his panic ridden body. "Brandon, snap out of it!"

Brandon tried to reply, but all air escaped his throat. He couldn't breathe.

He was choking.

* * *

**Dun dun dun!! Okay, so what's wrong with Brandon now? REVIEW and find out! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**

**OH YEAH!! I made banners for most of my stories!**** I made half of them sometime last year, but I couldn't upload them onto PhotoBucket with PhotoShop. I have a program called PhotoFiltre. Go to my profile, under the Links section, and under each story's part, there's a link that says Banner. Click on it and tell me what you think :)**

**Mini Contest:**

**I used another JB song in this chapter. Sentence starter: His lungs burned. Clue: It's not on any of their albums, but it was recorded around the time of their second.**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- More fear from the trio**

**_(Can't tell you what happens without telling what happens to Brandon, sorry)_**

**- It's back to school for East High!**

_**"Wow," Troy smiled, looking around the bright building. "It's like we never left..."**_

**"It's still amazing," Brandon shook his head "Anyways, who do you have for homeroom?"**

_**"Uhh, room 1116. You?"**_

_**"Same! Who's the teacher?"**_

_**Troy and Brandon looked down at the spot beside the room number and gasped. They looked at each other and screamed "NOOO!!"**_

**Trivia:**

**- Amanda, Courtney, and Anna were named after some of my friends at school, but they're not bitches.**

**- The line Marissa says (All out of mercy) is from the movie Ghost Rider**

**- Scrubs, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Family are three of my favorite shows. All of drop dead hillarious!**

**REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**


	8. Back at East High

**Yay! Quick update! And it's not as long as the last few chapters, thank God. So I bet you can guess what happens this chapter from reading the title of it...**

**One more thing guys. I've noticed in some of your reviews, for this story and GFN, that some of you think that Brandon is eventually going to "come out of the closet". I'm not one to give spoilers (even though this isn't even **_**considered**_** one) but Brandon isn't and won't ever be gay. I know in GFN how I made he and Troy sing to each other and hug and stuff, but that doesn't mean that either of them are gay. I know how that makes them seem homo and I'm sorry that I made you think like that, but Brandon and Troy are both stick straight, always will be. And later in the story I've already planned something that will prove that to you. Plus, I got most of those reviews after Brandon got together with Isabelle, which should've been a dead giveaway that he wasn't gay. So, yeah. Just wanted to clear that up. I'll try to write out their friendship a little more carefully from now on, and if I write something that makes you think of the "g" word, you can tell me if you want. I just don't want anymore reviews saying "OMG are they gay or something?!" or "Haha I think Brandon's gay, am I right???" Nope, you're wrong. Besides, if they **_**were**_** gay, don't you think they would've gotten together by now?**

**Answer to Mini Contest:**

**Take A Breath**

**Chapter 7 – Back at East High**

Gabriella shot out of her bed with a start, breathing hard after seeing his brown eyes for the second night in a row. She sighed and held her head in her hands, trying to hold in her tears. Brandon and Troy had been thrown into the Lava Springs pool with their hands and legs tied, forcing them to drown. She shook her head. These nightmares had to stop.

Suddenly, she heard screaming coming from the living room downstairs. They sounded desperate and panic ridden, thrashing around the room like they were trapped and scared of something terribly. The person sounded male. Gabriella gasped. Brandon had fallen asleep in the living room that night.

She threw the covers off of her and dashed over to her door, tearing it open and running down the stairs, almost tripping over Brandon's shoes. She looked over to the couch in the living room to find that she was right. Brandon was hyperventilating.

She made a mad dash over to her twin brother and shouted "Brandon!" She ran over to him and started shaking his slippery shoulders violently, nearly screaming "Brandon, snap out of it!"

Brandon looked like he was trying to say something, but all that came out were short gasps for air, like he couldn't breathe. His eyes widened and his mouth remained open, heaving for oxygen as he gripped the pillow beneath him, his chest tightening forcefully. He tried inhaling again, only to be met with nothing more than a sore throat.

"BRANDON!!!" Gabriella screamed at the top of her lungs, running in front of him and grabbing his face in between her hands, shaking his head to try and help him breathe. She saw his eyes darken. His breath was stuck in his throat like glue.

"Brandon, breathe!" Gabriella tried again, a tear sliding down her cheek. She removed her brother's bangs from his eyes and found that they were closing, most likely from losing consciousness.

"Brandon, no!"

Splash.

Gabriella shrieked and jumped back from the couch, her body shivering from the sudden rush of ice water being forced onto her body. She looked up and gave a sigh of relief to find Brandon coughing violently, his breath finally returning to his lungs.

"What the-" Gabriella started, but was cut off with Troy's electric blue eyes locking with hers. In his hand he held an empty pitcher of ice water.

"Troy?" Gabriella gasped, surprised that she didn't hear him coming in.

"What happened?" Troy asked, his voice low and full of fear. He had a nightmare too. That had to be the only reason he was here.

"B-Brandon was having a nightmare and started h-hyperventilating. I tried to snap him out of it but h-he wouldn't until you came along." Gabriella answered quietly, looking at the floor. "Thanks..."

"No problem," Troy set the bucket down and shuffled over to his girlfriend, putting an arm around her and whispering "Have another one?"

"Yeah..."

"Don't worry, we'll talk about it in a few minutes." He kissed her forehead and sped over to his best friend, who had fallen onto the floor and was now holding his stomach with one hand and his neck with another, the sweat still rolling off of his forehead, back, and chest. He was heaving his heart out and, eyes wide behind his hair, blinked quickly to try and regain his vision, having lost it during his panic attack. He took a few more deep breaths before finally mumbling "T-thanks..."

"You okay man?" Troy reviewed carefully, helping Brandon to a sitting position against the soaked couch.

"I-I think so. Still trying to c-catch my breath though..." Brandon nodded, still breathing hard.

"What happened?" Troy asked, confused. He and Brandon usually had the same dreams and reacted the same way. Troy had a nightmare and just woke up sweating, like normal, with no breathing problems.

Brandon sighed "I-I don't really know. When I was drowning, it just felt so real. I guess I was so afraid of dying and thought it was actually happening."

"Are you sure you didn't just choke on your spit?" Troy asked, rolling over every possibility and trying to find a logical explanation.

Brandon shook his head "My mouth was dry, that couldn't be it. I think I was just scared."

"Wait, didn't something like this happen before?" Gabriella asked, coming over to the two boys.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked.

Gabriella explained "That night when you and Brandon had the dream of the other getting shot, me and Brandon had our nightmares at different times. I had mine first and went to sleep in his room. He woke up from his and said that his chest hurt really badly." She looked over at Brandon and watched him recall the memory.

"Oh yeah," he remembered "It felt like getting shot in the arm again, only in my chest."

Troy observed "But how is that even possible? And why is it only happening to you?"

Brandon shrugged "I don't know. I'm the one who broke up with Samantha, so I'm getting the worst punishment. You broke Wolf's plans, so that's probably why you're getting them too, only not as harsh."

"What about me?" Gabriella asked, confused. She had no part in the death of Samantha or Wolf's plan to kill Brandon.

"You're my girlfriend and Brandon's sister," Troy answered "You heard Sharpay explain what Brick said. When someone close to us gets hurt, we get hurt."

"He's right," Brandon turned to his sister "It's like a chain. One thing leads to another."

"So what do we do?" Gabriella asked, leaning into Troy's shoulder as they sat on the floor.

Troy sighed and shrugged "I guess we just wait it out and see what happens. This can't really go on much longer, especially with school starting in less than a week."

Gabriella copied his sigh and closed her eyes "I'm scared guys..."

Brandon wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple, whispering "Usually I'd say 'don't be', but I can't. Everybody's scared. We just have to stick together and fight this, okay?"

Gabriella smiled at him and said "Yeah. I love you guys."

Troy leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips, replying "We love you too."

--

Troy groaned as his eyes fluttered open, the light from the morning sun blinding him slightly. He flipped onto his other side, expecting to feel his girlfriend's warm body next to him but felt nothing. He sat up abruptly and looked down at the empty spot next to him, confused. Where was she?

He heard someone clear their throat behind him. Troy turned his head to see Brandon and Gabriella standing beside each other, an annoyed look upon their faces.

"What's going on?" Troy asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Brandon held out a white envelope with printed letters on the front, addressed to Troy. The brunette took a look at the return address. East High School.

"Bad news..." Gabriella said, showing him her and Brandon's letters which were already opened.

Troy took the letter from Brandon's hand and ripped it open, unfolding the paper inside. After reading the first few lines, he groaned "Are you kidding me?! We don't get our schedules until the first day?!"

Brandon shook his head "They got a new grading system and it messed up everyone's schedules. The ones that they sent us last week are apparently wrong, so we still don't know what teachers or classes we have."

Troy let the letter float to the ground as he threw his hands up in the air, complaining "This is just great. I was getting all hyped up over having evil Mrs. Brown as my Algebra 3 teacher for nothing."

"Mrs. Brown is nothing compared to what I had," Gabriella shook her head "I knew that my schedule was wrong as soon as it said I had Ms. Darbus for drama again."

Brandon said "Of course yours was wrong. The only way she'd be teaching that class was if she got transferred to the 12th grade."

Gabriella shrugged "It could happen."

Troy shuddered at the thought of spending the last year of his high school career with the witch he called his drama teacher. "Please don't jinx it Gabby. It's like being in a house fire and saying things couldn't get any worse."

With a chuckle, Brandon rolled his eyes and replied "Don't worry. Darbus wouldn't even _want_ to transfer. Not if there's a chance of having Chad in her class again."

Troy laughed "Yeah, she couldn't stand him, could she?"

Gabriella smiled "I heard her say she'd rather be stuck in an elevator with Jason than to teach Chad again."

The group laughed for a little bit before Brandon spoke up "Don't worry guys. We got rid of Darbus last year. There's no way in hell she's coming back into our lives this year..."

--

Troy, Brandon, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Ryan, Zeke, Jason, and Kelsi stood on the street, just footsteps away from the curb that would lead to the sidewalk and eventually, the stairs that would take them to a new chapter in their lives.

"Wow," Gabriella said, shaking her head slowly. "12th grade..."

"I can still remember when we first walked into this place as freshmen. How scared we were…" Brandon added.

"Is it weird that I'm scared right now?" Jason asked uneasily.

Troy shook his head "No Jase. This is it. Our last year of school, can you believe it?"

Taylor corrected him "Don't forget the four years of collage that we'll hopefully go through." Troy just shrugged, letting her know that she was right.

Sharpay took a deep breath and let it out in a strong sigh, saying "Well, we should get going. The bell for homeroom rings in five minutes and I don't wanna have detention on my last first day."

The 10 of them all linked arms, taking deep nervous breaths of anticipation. Starting with their left foot, they all stepped forward towards the front doors, growing more and more excited with each step they took.

As they got closer to the building, the gang noticed a crowd start to gather around them, full of eager people that were happy to see the technical stars of East High back with them.

When the 10 friends reached the front doors of the school, they disconnected their arms and smiled, looking into the school that was already flooded with students. The band was playing inside as well, banging the drums and smashing the cymbals in celebration of the new year being born. Suddenly, all noise stopped as the band looked at the line of students in front of the door. Troy and Brandon smiled at them knowingly. The band nodded and returned the grin.

"Three..." Gabriella started.

"...Two..." Brandon added.

Troy grinned "One."

Ten feet stepped into the building as the band slammed on the drums, starting the music back up again. Cheers came from within the school, filling the teens' ears with encouragement for they just realized that this was the first high school year that Troy and Brandon had walked in together.

"Hello, senior year!!!" Chad screamed, pumping his fists in the air. Loud yells followed suit.

"Hello, fun!" Sharpay yelled.

"Hello, the rest of our lives!" Brandon shouted after her, projecting his voice to the end of the hallway.

Troy and Gabriella smiled at him. This was going to be the best year ever.

--

After finishing the pre-school day celebrating, the gang walked to the senior hallway at the end of the school to collect their schedules and locker numbers. That was one flaw of the new year. They had to walk a mile to get to their homeroom in Five minutes.

After Gabriella and Brandon got their schedules and locker numbers, they waited for Troy to get his so that they could check their classes together.

Brandon growled "Agh, what's taking him so long? I wanna read my schedule already!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes "Don't worry, Brandon, there's a long line and he had to get in the back. He should be here soon since he was only a few spots behind us."

Just as his sister had predicted, Brandon saw Troy waltz up to them, looking around the school in wonder. The sight of senior year obviously still hadn't sunk into him yet.

"Wow," Troy smiled, looking around the bright building. "It's like we never left..."

"It's still amazing," Brandon shook his head "Anyways, who do you have for homeroom?"

"Uhh, room 1116. You?"

"Same! Who's the teacher?"

Troy and Brandon looked down at the spot beside the room number and gasped. They looked at each other with wide eyes and screamed "NOOO!!"

"What?" Gabriella asked, having just ended a conversation with a girl beside her and not opening her schedule with the boys. "Who is it?"

"It's not possible!" Troy gasped, looking at the paper in his hand as though it were an F on his S.A.T's.

"It's gotta be a mistake!" Brandon shook his head and blinked quickly like it was going to make the printed name go away.

"Who is it?" Gabriella repeated, looking at Brandon's schedule with a curious eye. As soon as her gaze landed on those 6 dreaded letters, she let out a high pitched shriek of "WHAT THE HELL?!?!"

_HR – Homeroom Grade 12 – Marking Periods 1,2,3,4 – Room 1116 – __**Darbus, A**_

"Gabby, are you in our homeroom too?" Brandon frantically asked his sister.

Gabriella almost tore the paper in two trying to open it in a split second to find out her fate. The letter dropped from her hands as she whispered "Darbus..."

Troy stuttered "B-but how is that even possible?! Unless she got transferred she's still teaching 11th grade!"

Brandon gave him a sympathetic look. "Unless she got transferred..."

Troy closed his eyes and sighed. "This isn't happening..."

"We're dead..." Gabriella said flatly, letting her head fall back against the lockers.

Brandon sighed "Hey, maybe it won't be that bad. I mean, at least we know what gets on her nerves and what doesn't. We know what it takes to get her to shut up and what it takes to get her out of the classroom for long periods of time."

Troy argued "Yeah, but she also knows what pisses us off and what our strengths are. She can use that against us if we make her mad."

Brandon looked as though he was about to retort, but closed his mouth, knowing that his best friend was right.

Gabriella took a deep breath and said "So much for senior year being the best ever..."

Troy smiled lightly and took her into his arms "Don't worry. When Darbus gives a lecture about the theater and Shakespeare, we'll just text each other and drown her out."

Gabriella giggled "Yeah, just like Amy tried to do last year, but got caught." Brandon laughed at the memory of his ex getting her phone snatched out of her hands and thrown into the silver bucket on Darbus's desk.

Troy looked down the hall and pointed to someone. "Speaking of Amy..."

Brandon and Gabriella turned around and grinned as the black haired beauty waltzed down the hall with her friends, chatting and laughing. Her hair had grown longer, surprisingly, and was now down to the top of her rear end. She had only grown about half of an inch over the summer, meaning that she was still only about 5'6". She probably only gained a pound or two, so she was still relatively skinny and in shape. What really surprised Brandon was the fact that she had the East High class ring on her ring finger.

Amy looked in his direction and smiled widely, happy to see one of her best friends. She said goodbye to her girlfriends and bolted over to Brandon, wrapping her arms around his neck and feeling him spin her around.

"Brandon Montez, I'm so happy to see you!" Amy shrieked in his ear, getting down off of him.

Brandon laughed "Me too, Amy. How was your summer?"

Amy shrugged "Ehh, nothing special. Went to Florida, Ohio, Maryland, and Six Flags, but that's pretty much it. What about you? You've been working out, haven't you?"

Brandon rolled his eyes and shrugged as well "Well, you know me. Always hitting up the gym. Mine was pretty good. Hung out with these crazy people the whole time." He pointed to Troy and Gabriella, who smiled and waved.

Amy nodded "Good to see you two are still friends. I was wondering weather something else came up that made you go at each other's throats again."

Troy shook his head "Nope. We're still brothers forever."

Brandon turned back to Amy and said "So I see ring on your finger. Who's the lucky guy?"

Amy blushed and touched the M shaped necklace that hung off of her neck. "Well..."

"Hey, babe," a voice came behind the black haired teen. Amy lowered her gaze to the floor as a blonde wrapped his hands around her waist, kissing her cheek. "You ready for-"

Amy cleared her throat and pointed to Brandon, still not making eye contact with him. The blonde looked up and froze, his eyes widening. "Oh, crap..."

"Michael?" Brandon said in disbelief, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms across his chest.

Michael was now blushing furiously as he ripped his hands from his obvious girlfriend and crossed them, mumbling "Hey man..."

Brandon gave a surprising smile with his eyes still wide, exclaiming "Whoa, wait a minute! When did this happen and why wasn't I informed?"

Amy cleared her throat again in nervousness while she replied "Uhh...t-two months ago. W-we didn't wanna tell you because we thought you'd be mad at Michael..."

Brandon sighed and rolled his eyes. "Guys, look. I don't know if you know this, but the phrase 'ex-girlfriend' means I'm not dating you anymore. I don't really care who you date, even if it's one of my best friends. Now, if I was in love with you and you were dating him, I'd be pretty steamed, but right now, I could care less. I'm happy for you guys, okay?"

Michael's green eyes lit up "Really?"

Brandon shrugged "Yeah, I mean come on. Dude, you haven't dated in forever. 2 years to be exact. Why wouldn't I want you to get together with someone?"

Michael smiled warmly at him. He interlaced he and Amy's hands and said "Thanks man. That really means a lot to me."

Brandon patted him on the shoulder with "No problem man. Just take care of her."

Amy leaned into her boyfriend while he said "I will. Oh and one more thing."

"Shoot."

"How could you not love this woman?" Amy just giggled and rolled her eyes.

Brandon answered "I don't know. I mean sure, I had feelings for her, but I just never really..."

"Felt like you do when you're with Isabelle?" Amy finished for him.

Brandon's eyes softened at the sound of his girlfriend's name. "Yeah, exactly..."

Michael asked "Oh yeah, how are things between you two?"

Brandon smiled widely "Amazingly great. We were talking on the phone last night for about three hours and there were no awkward silences between us."

Amy looked up at Michael with love in her eyes and softly said "Kinda reminds me of someone I know..." Michael couldn't resist the urge to lean down and plant a sweet kiss on her lips.

Brandon waved his arms "Okay, okay you two! No PDA, break it up!"

Michael blushed. "Sorry, man. You know how soft those lips are."

Brandon shrugged, remembering the last time he kissed her almost nine months ago, the day before the dance that brought Isabelle into his life. Sure, her lips were soft and sweet, but they were nothing compared to the thunder that erupted in his heart when he locked lips with Isabelle.

Brandon felt a tap on his shoulder behind him. Troy told him "Two minutes until homeroom."

Brandon nodded "I'll be right there." He turned back to his two friends and dismissed himself "Well I'll see you guys later. Good luck with the first day and your relationship."

Michael and Amy waved at him and walked off in the other direction, embracing each other lovingly. Brandon watched them turn the corner, noting how good they were together and how he didn't notice it sooner. He had introduced Michael and Amy when they first told each other that they liked each other in 5th grade. It was at recess and Michael just stared at Amy, his eyes sparkling. Brandon just brushed it off and any other incidents that had occurred over the years, which had been very many and thought nothing of it. He mentally kicked himself. _How could I be so stupid?_

Sighing, he turned on his heel and slowly stalked off to his new homeroom, his stomach churning the whole way. Allison Darbus, the first teacher he would see everyday...

This would be a very interesting year...

* * *

**Just to let you know, this chapter will be continued next chapter. But if I added what I'm planning, it would be wayy too long...**

**REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**

**I'm planning to write a new oneshot/songfic, but I don't know which song to use. Please take my new poll on my profile! Thanks :)**

**Mini Contest:**

**See if you can guess what Brandon's locker number will be. Clue: it's obviously gonna be Jonas related...**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- Troy, Brandon, and Gabriella aren't the only one's who have Darbus as a homeroom teacher...**

**_Troy and Brandon's heads snapped towards the door of the room as it flew open, revealing a mountain of hair and a very frantic looking Chad._**

**_"Call the paramedics! I think I'm gonna die!"_**

**_"You too?" Troy asked, raising an eyebrow._**

**_"God, I hope not! Otherwise we're all-"_**

**_"WELCOME BACK STUDENTS!!" A sudden, familiar voice entered the room along with a flamboyant curtain of colors._**

**_"Dead..." Chad finished his sentence, sinking down into his chair._**

**- Another threat scares the gang**

**_Troy was about to answer until the room finally fell into darkness._**

**_"What just happened?!" Gabriella shrieked._**

**_The sound of a phone being lifted and then put back down again filled the room as Ms. Darbus announced "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we have a power failure, most likely from someone sneaking in and cutting them off."_**

**_"Oh God no, not here..." Troy, Brandon, and Gabriella all thought to themselves as a certain pair of green eyes could be seen behind their closed eyes..._**

**Trivia:**

**- If you want to picture Amy, just picture Amy Lee (lead singer of Evanescence) only a little younger**

**- If you want to picture Michael, picture Jesse McCartney in his spikey hair stage (Remember me saying in the chapter Michael had blonde hair and green eyes?)**

**- Next chapter was supposed to be the end of this chapter, but it would obviously be too long**

**- Everyone's homeroom is room 1116 because that's my homeroom at my school :)**

**- The situation with everyone's messed up schedules actually happened to my school. We got our schedules mailed to us about 2 weeks before school started, but then got a call from the school that said that they were messed up because of the new grading program on all the computers :( I just changed it up a little bit and made Troy, Brandon, and Gabriella get letters instead of a call**

**REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**


	9. Whispers In the Dark

**Sorry for the long update guys. Schools keeping me nice and busy, so my updates have been really slow. I try my best on the weekends, but oh well. Here's the next chapter :)**

**Answer to Mini Contest:**

**You'll have to read the chapter to find out. If you don't understand it, it's in the trivia ;)**

* * *

Brandon walked into room 1116 and sighed at the arrangement of things. Déjà vu hit him as he remembered looking at the exact same rows of desks in the exact same placements. Darbus's desk was set up the same way with her freaky drama masks hung up on the walls and her silver tin bucket placed on a pedestal in the middle as if to say "No cell phones or you'll regret it!" Yup. Darbus didn't change a bit over the summer.

Brandon walked over to Troy, who was sitting in the exact same spot he sat in last year chatting with Gabriella who now sat beside him instead of in the back. Brandon, who sat two rows over from Troy, now relocated himself to be on his left where Zeke was last year and sat down, saying "Well this is original, huh?"

Troy and Gabriella turned their attention to him while nodding, Troy replying "Yeah I guess Darbus couldn't wait to put us through another year of hell, so she's torturing us again only with higher expectations for us this time."

Gabriella spoke up "Wait a minute, even though or schedules were messed up, didn't Chad have the same homeroom as us too?"

Brandon nodded "Yeah we all had the same homerooms and English classes. So that means that..." They all looked at each other with amused looks among their faces, all coming to the same conclusion.

"Oh God, here we go..." Brandon spoke up, sitting back in his seat with a grin.

Gabriella giggled "This ought to be interesting when he finds out."

Suddenly, Troy and Brandon's heads snapped towards the door of the room as it flew open, revealing a mountain of hair and a very frantic looking Chad.

"Call the paramedics! I think I'm gonna die!" he screamed, running in front of Troy's desk and sitting down in the desk.

"You too?" Troy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"God, I hope not! Otherwise we're all-"

"WELCOME BACK STUDENTS!!" A sudden, familiar voice entered the room along with a flamboyant curtain of colors.

"Dead..." Chad finished his sentence, sinking down into his chair.

"Let the games begin..." Brandon muttered to himself, sighing.

Ms. Darbus let out a happy sigh as she called out in her loud voice "Ahh, welcome, welcome, welcome to the last year of your high school career! As you all probably know, my name is Ms. Allison Darbus and I specialize in the glorious theoretical arts and drama."

"How could we forget..." Chad mumbled to himself under his breath, thinking that she couldn't hear him.

Ms. Darbus's eyes flicked over to Chad and grinned to herself. Slowly walking over to him, she continued with her rant "Oh, I see many familiar faces from my classes last year. One face in particular," she stopped in front of Chad's desk "Mr. Danforth."

"Uh huh?"

Darbus gave a false smile of happiness and said "I sure do hope that we have grown a little more mature over the three wondrous summer months that you had, am I correct?"

"...sure..."

"Good," Walking back up to the front of the room, Darbus scanned the area for a pair that she had been particularly curious about over the summer. She smiled broadly when she finally spotted them "Mr. Montez and Mr. Bolton!"

Troy and Brandon's heads shot up from their turtle like state and both said at the same time "Huh?"

"I see you both are seated within five feet of each other and not tearing the other's head off. I'm assuming that you two are still brotherly?"

They nodded as though they were speaking to a slow person. "Uh huh..."

Darbus averted her attention to another couple on her mind "Mr. Montez, I wonder if you were still together with Ms. Johnson or if you ran back to Ms. Hartzler."

Brandon was hesitant to answer, for he didn't think that sharing his love life with his psychotic drama teacher was a very smart decision to make. However he finally sighed "S-still with Isabelle..."

Darbus let out a breath of relief "Thank God. Moving on, now I know that some of you aren't too thrilled that I'm your teacher for another year-"

Failing in biting his tongue to keep himself from saying anything, Chad muttered "That's an understatement..."

Darbus shot a glare in Chad's direction and growled "I thought you said you grew up Danforth."

Chad rolled his eyes, but replied "Sorry..."

Darbus continued to sigh "Anyways, I just wanted to hope that all of you had a very nice summer, as I did. Now before I let you tell me about your summer I just wanted to tell about my new expectations for you this year. I know I let you get away with a few things last year, but that completely stops this year. First and foremost, I want to say that..."

The room erupted into many bored sighs and groans from the impatient teenagers who already couldn't wait until the end of the year where Darbus would completely be out of their lives forever.

As the oldish woman ranted on and on about the new rules of her class, Chad closed his eyes and whimpered to himself "Please God, _what_ did I do to deserve this punishment? Is this some kind of sick joke or a way of you sending the devil to take my soul-"

"DANFORTH!!" Darbus shouted above his self audience speech. He watched in horror as she stormed up to his desk and towered over him with her short frame, letting him know who was in charge. "Did you _not_ hear a _word_ that just came out of my mouth?!"

He gulped "Y-yes..."

"Well then please repeat it!" She barked, knowing what was to come from him.

Clearing his throat and searching his brain for an excuse to get out of this, Chad stuttered "W-would that really be necessary, I mean, come on. We've already wasted enough class time with the greeting and t-the fact that this is senior year, the _last_ of our schooling-"

Using the ruler she grabbed from her desk, Darbus slammed it down on his desk to cut off his nervous rant and seethed "Let's get one thing straight Danforth!"

"Y-yes ma'am..."

The white haired lady continued "I've learned a few things over these three months and let me tell you I've listened and learned carefully! I've had teachings from the most military-like professors and let me tell you their hard attitude is about to sink in if you don't shut up and let me teach my lesson! Do you understand me?!"

Chad sat there with his eyes wide and his throat dry. It wasn't until now that he realized how scary Darbus was up close and that queasy feeling she gave you in the pit of your stomach, which he hadn't felt since Sharpay and Gabriella got kidnapped. But then again, he couldn't feel the anger radiating off of Brick's body or see his nostrils flaring in fury. He just nodded slowly like a little kid afraid of a bully at school.

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Darbus continued "Very well. Now," Turning back to the whole class, who was just as scared as Chad "I might as well tell you why I'm here in the first place. Apparently, my teaching skills aren't suitable enough for eleventh grade, so they transferred me to twelve grade, which is why my expectations are higher this year. For instance, your appearance. I know that it is still in the midst of summer and the ladies like to wear the little short shorts and mini skirts that display too much skin, so in order to wear those, they must reach your fingertips. You must stand straight up and place your hands at your sides. If the fabric doesn't reach your fingertips, they are too short. I know that this was a school rule in middle school, but they apparently cut it from the Code of Conduct since they think you are responsible enough. One more thing. Men, if you would like to grow facial hair, the length limit is one inch."

This rule led to many protests from most of the guys in the room who had grown facial hair over the summer, including Chad who had worked hard to not shave off the go-t on his face. He was planning to grow it a little bit longer, **(Hmm...)** maybe an inch and a half but he could just toss that plan in the trash. Darbus was a dictator.

She stopped all the commotion with a stiff hand and continued "Gentlemen, I know you're disappointed, but I cannot speak to someone while they have unnecessary facial hair hanging off of their face. I wouldn't call it a phobia of mine, but I do detest it very much. If I think that your hair is longer than the limit, I will get a ruler and measure it on the spot. If it's too long, I will hand you a pair of scissors and you will cut it into the trash can until it is one inch or shorter."

Chad crossed his arms and sat back in his seat, pouting. It was only five minutes into the new school year and he was already waiting for the dismissal bell to ring or for someone to fire this drama queen for someone else who was way more fair.

Darbus interrupted his thoughts with "Mr. Danforth, if you have a problem with it, I suggest you consult someone who cares. Please don't pout like some little middle schooler. Oh, and for a positive, the hair really works for you. It makes your lips stand out. And I see that you've tamed that mess you call hair."

"I see you've grown some fuzz too..." he said behind his breath, fortunate that she didn't hear him due to her continuous rambling.

"Now then, I hope that everyone has gotten their correct schedules for this year. The school office is terribly sorry about the whole mix up, but now they hope that you can advance from class to class without a problem."

To everyone's relief, the bell for first period rang as soon as her sentence ended.

Darbus finished off with "Good luck with your first day students! Have fun learning!" Before Chad walked out, she grabbed his arm and warned "But not too much fun..." Chad just gave her a frightened look and shook her off of him, speeding out of the door before he allowed himself to retort.

When he got outside, he found that Troy, Brandon, and Gabriella had already beat him there, having not been stopped by the witch on their way out.

"Dude," Chad started "I think Darbus met with some dealer during the summer 'cause that lady seems crazier than she was last year!"

Brandon nodded with the same look "And she's flaunting the whole 'I'll be the first person you'll see every day until the end of the school year' Yeah, like that makes us feel better."

Gabriella shrugged "I don't think it'll be that bad guys. I mean come on. She taught us so much last year and I think we should give her just a little bit of credit."

Chad rolled his eyes "For what? Dragging us into a year of dramatic hell?"

Gabriella scoffed "Remember that project she made us do last year? You wrote yours on Taylor and she reconsidered going out with you. You two would probably still be awkward if she didn't make you do that."

Chad readied himself to retort, but found that she was right. He had just barely passed drama last year and that project being assigned was the only thing that could save him from repeating the grade. Darbus knew exactly what she was doing. It would let all four of them express themselves without letting their targets knowing exactly what was going on. For a psychopath, she was pretty smart.

Chad huffed "I'd love to stay and chat about the devil in human form, but I gotta go. Don't wanna be late for science on my first day. See you guys at lunch."

Gabriella rolled her eyes "Whatever Chad. Goodbye." As he walked away from them, she couldn't help but shout after him "You know I'm right!"

"Whatever!" he yelled back, walking quicker around the corner.

"Typical Chad," Brandon shook his head "Oh, he's right! We gotta get going! The bell's gonna ring in less than a minute! See you guys!" He gave his friends one last wave before darting down the hallway to his advanced algebra class. Brandon might have been just an average student, but when it came to math, he was like a modern Einstein.

Troy nodded "Well I guess that just leaves us. We better get to music before Darbus tears our heads off." He grabbed Gabriella by the wrist and led the way down to the auditorium where their music class was being held for the day. Hopefully they would get there before Darbus did.

--

Troy and Gabriella entered the large room about thirty seconds later and let out the breaths that they were holding when the found that they had beat Darbus, but only barely. The bell rang just seconds after they had entered and as soon as it did, the rounded woman came trotting into the area.

"Students! Welcome to your last year of high school musical education! I intend to make this the best music class you have ever had, as long as you all cooperate and follow directions."

Troy and Gabriella snuck down the aisle while Darbus had her eyes closed and took their seats beside Kelsi, who obviously had the same class as they did. She smiled at them and whispered "Hey guys."

"What's up Kelsi?" Troy smiled back.

Darbus continued "We will be doing many projects in this class and listening to many musical legends that have inspired me over the years. And I will be trying something new this year. Since I received many complaints last year about the music I had you all study and sing, I will be taking requests on songs and artists. I must warn you though that we will not be doing any rap or heavy metal. Nothing like...Britney Spears or Jay-Z or whatever you teenagers like to listen to these days. Any objections."

Silence.

"Good. Now to start us off this year and to warm us up a little, I want you all to think back to your summer and try to pick out your summer theme song. It can be a love song for you and your spouse or it can be a, dare I say it, party song about your wild side. I must say that the song must be appropriate and cannot contain any swear words or sexual content. And to assist you in your singing, we have the lovely Ms. Kelsi Neilson on piano. We well look up the sheet music on my laptop here," she pointed to the laptop on the piano beside her "And Kelsi will play the music while you sing it. Just take a few minutes to think of a song."

Troy closed his eyes and thought back to his summer. Sure, he had tons and tons of fun with Brandon, Gabriella, and the rest of the gang, but he couldn't really think of any good songs that he wanted to sing in front of the _entire_ class. Then his mind drifted to the Brick situation. He could still hear Gabriella's desperate cries on the bridge and he could still taste the dried blood on lips when he kissed her during their walk. Then he remembered the promise that he and Brandon had made to her. _We'll always be there for you_...

He grinned.

"Any volunteers before I start choosing myself? You may also sing with someone if you want." Darbus finally spoke up after a few moments of silence.

_Perfect... _Troy raised his hand while Gabriella and Kelsi just stared at him. Troy wanted to sing? In front of everyone?

Darbus ushered him to the stage with "Very well Mr. Bolton. Would you like to sing with someone?"

Troy nodded and turned to Gabriella. Without him even saying anything, Gabriella shook her head "Hell no!"

"Come on Gabby!" Troy pleaded, giving her a puppy dog pout that he knew she couldn't resist. She finally sighed and whispered "Fine..."

Troy smiled and got up with Kelsi and Gabriella behind him. He dragged Gabriella to the stage by her arm, feeling her start to tremble with nervousness. She had never sung in front of an audience before, except for Troy and Brandon, by herself. She knew that it was a bad idea to let them hear her voice.

Once Kelsi sat down at the piano, she nodded at Darbus who said "What song will you two be performing for us today?" Gabriella looked at Troy with worried eyes, wanting to find out the answer to that question herself. She hoped it wasn't anything that was too low key. She was absolutely horrible at those.

Troy grinned mischievously "It's a surprise. All I can tell you is that we don't need to look up the sheet music because Kelsi already knows it."

"I do?"

Troy nodded "Yeah, remember the song I showed you last month?" Gabriella gulped. _Oh THAT song..._

Kelsi gasped in recognition "Oh okay, now I know what you're talking about. Just let me know when you're ready."

Troy nodded and looked at his girlfriend, giving her a look that said "Are you ready?"

Gabriella hesitantly nodded, which didn't go unnoticed by Troy. He took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze, letting her know that he was right beside her. She smiled at him lightly.

Troy nodded at Kelsi, who placed her thin fingers on the keys and started to play the notes that she had memorized a month ago.

Troy took a deep breath and started to sing:

"**Despite the lies that you're making**

**Your love is mine for the taking**

**My love is just waiting**

**To turn your tears to roses"**

Kelsi began to hit the keys a little harder to represent the guitars that started playing right about now in the original song.

"**Despite the lies that you're making**

**Your love is mine for the taking**

**My love is just waiting**

**To turn your tears to roses"**

Troy nudged Gabriella in the side as a signal to start singing with him. She inhaled deeply and began to sing:

"**I will be the one that's gonna hold you**

**I will be the one that you run to**

**My love is a burning, consuming fire"**

They looked deeply into each other's eyes as they continued.

**No, you'll never be alone**

**When darkness comes**

**I'll light the night with stars**

**Hear my whispers in the dark**

**No, you'll never be alone**

**When darkness comes**

**You know I'm never far**

**Hear my whispers in the dark**

**Whispers in the dark**

Gabriella continued on her own

**You feel so lonely and ragged**

Troy continued by his self

**You lay here broken and naked**

Their voices blended together once again

**My love is just waiting**

**To clothe you in crimson roses**

Troy

**I will be the one that's gonna find you**

**I will be the one that's gonna guide you**

**My love is a burning, consuming fire**

**No, you'll never be alone**

**When darkness comes**

**I'll light the night with stars**

**Hear my whispers in the dark**

**No, you'll never be alone**

**When darkness comes**

**You know I'm never far**

**Hear my whispers in the dark**

**Whispers in the dark**

**Whispers in the dark**

**Whispers in the dark**

The two didn't even hear the thunderous applause that had erupted from the audience before them. They just continued staring at each other, the love and happiness evident in their shining eyes. Troy leaned down and softly planted his lips to Gabriella's cheek, having her blush in response while her smile just grew larger. When Troy retreated, he mouthed "I'm so proud of you."

But of course, all good moments had to come to an end. Ms. Darbus rushed over towards them and congratulated "Brava you two! May I ask what that song was?"

Troy answered "It's called 'Whispers in the Dark' by Skillet. I came across it last month and I guess it just fit me and Gabby's situation. I was hanging out with Kelsi a few days later and as soon as she heard it, she looked up the sheet music to it. Guess her time wasn't wasted." Kelsi blushed at this comment.

Ms. Darbus smiled and replied "Well it was beautiful. You may be seated."

Troy nodded and, taking Gabriella's hand in his, started walking back to their seats. Gabriella stopped short, looking at her boyfriend with admiration. "What's wrong?" Troy asked in confusion.

Gabriella leaned in and closed the gap in between them. "Thanks for dragging me up there. That was amazing."

Troy shrugged "Hey. Amazing things are only created by amazing people."

--

...Brandon in 9th Period...

Brandon walked into the gymnasium, his heart thumping against his chest wildly. It was finally ninth, or free, period and Brandon's first dance practice of the school year. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He and the team had been practicing together the whole summer and pretty much had their routine down perfectly for the dance next week, so why did he feel like throwing up all of the sudden?

"_No wait a second..." _he thought to himself _"That's not nervousness. The last time that I felt this was when I was going to Lava Springs a few days ago. Before Sharpay got kidnapped..."_

He shook off those horrifying feelings and opened his closed eyes, trying not to let his jaw drop. He smiled as his eyes landed on all of the dancers Brandon had come to know as his friends, all stretching and chatting with their teammates about the exciting year ahead for them. Half the class was stretching and warming up while the others, who had already done so, were leaning against the walls or sitting on the hardwood floor talking and laughing with their friends. Brandon took a deep breath. This would definitely be one of the best days ever.

He walked over to the middle of the room where Michael stood talking to Drew and Todd **(Remember those two? They helped Brandon beat up Troy back in chapter 13 of GFN) **

Brandon spoke up "Hey guys!"

The three boys looked over at their captain and smiled widely "DJ Danger!" they all cried in unison, taking their turns in giving Brandon one-armed hugs. "You ready for an awesome year?" Michael asked.

Brandon beamed "Hell yeah! When am I never?"

Todd spoke up "I know it's months off, but I'm already ready to kick some ass at the nationals." Michael and Drew rolled their eyes at his randomness.

Brandon stopped him with a chuckle "Whoa, slow down there Toddmyster. We don't even know if we're gonna be able to compete. We've still gotta win against West in two months."

Todd squinted his eyes, showing that he was even ready for that. "There's no way in _hell_ they're beating us again. They just got lucky last year, but now that you're captain this year we're a shoe in!"

"Hey!" Michael glared at him, offended since he was the captain of the team last year. "I take offense to that!"

"Sorry dude..."

Brandon rolled his eyes with a friendly smile "Guys, just calm down. It doesn't matter who the captain of this team is, as long as we all stick together and try our best, we're gonna be fine." The three boys smiled at him.

"Definitely," Drew nodded "Anyways, you got the music list?"

Brandon reached into his gym bag for the list that contained his ideas for their routine songs and searched around everywhere, not finding anything. He frowned. He could've sworn he put it in there this morning before he left the house.

After finding nothing, he sighed "Crap, I must've left it in homeroom this morning. Mike, get everyone ready for a freestyle session. I'll be right back." Michael nodded as he watched Brandon's retreating figure run out of the room back to Darbus's class. He grinned to himself. The memory of Brandon letting him date his ex still hadn't sunk in yet. Brandon truly was his best friend.

--

Brandon rushed into the room after a minute of running through the hallways. He had even checked his locker, number 705, to see if he had left it there without knowing. He ran over to his desk and checked everywhere around his desk, groaning as he found nothing.

"What are you looking for?" Brandon looked up to find Troy's curious face staring at him. Brandon shrugged "I thought I left the dance track list in here, but I can't find it. I must've left it at home. This is just great..."

Troy seemed to be thinking for a few seconds before it finally dawned on him. "You mean this?" He looked around in his folder before pulling out a folded piece of paper. Brandon took it from his hands, opened it, and let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thanks man. What were you doing with it?"

Troy rolled his eyes playfully "You gave it to me, remember? In fifth period you asked me what I thought of it."

Brandon gasped in recognition "Oh yeah. Mr. Hudson thought we were passing notes and I forgot all about trying to get it back trying to..."

"Come up with a lie." Troy joined him in finishing his sentence, smiling.

Brandon laughed "See, this is why we're best friends."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

They shared one more laugh before Brandon sighed "Well I might as well get back to the gym. Lots of people waiting on me."

Troy started "Okay see you lat-"

Just then, the lights in the room flickered for a few seconds. Troy and Brandon looked up at them with confusion written all over their faces.

"What the..." Brandon muttered, seeing Gabriella walk up to them with the same look.

"What's happening?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

Troy was about to answer until the room finally fell into complete darkness.

"What just happened?!" Gabriella shrieked.

The sound of a phone being lifted and then put back down again filled the room as Ms. Darbus announced "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we have a power failure, most likely from someone sneaking in and cutting them off."

"_Oh God no, not here..."_ Troy, Brandon, and Gabriella all thought to themselves as a certain pair of brown eyes could be seen behind their closed ones. How did he even sneak in?

"Shit, not now..." Brandon whispered, feeling around in the darkness until he felt Gabriella's hand. He grabbed it, but was surprised that she bombed into his arms immediately.

Darbus continued blindly "Please do not panic. That will only make things worse. Just wait patiently until the technician arrives and fixes it. Just stay calm."

"How can we stay calm when our stalker is in the building?" Troy whispered to Brandon and Gabriella, his voice annoyed.

Brandon shook his head and stroked his sister's hair "Like she said. Just stay calm and wait for something to happen..."

2 minutes later, Troy, Brandon, and Gabriella found themselves on the group up against the wall when the lights finally came back to life. Deep breaths of relief could be heard throughout the room as the terrified students rose from the ground, a few of them opening the blinds to let in the sunlight just in case it happened again.

"Thank God." Gabriella cried, crashing onto Troy's chest.

"No, thank you Brick for finally leaving." Brandon whispered, hoping that no one except Troy and Gabriella could hear him.

Troy shook his head "It doesn't matter. The lights are back on. Let's just hope it doesn't happen again."

Gabriella stood up and started back for her desk when someone on Troy's caught her eye. She gasped and her eyes widened. "T-Troy..." she stammered.

"Yeah?" Troy asked, coming up behind her.

"Look." She pointed to the face of his desk with a trembling finger. Troy followed it and froze.

Another black envelope.

"How the hell?" He angrily grabbed the note from the desk and tore it open, opening it slowly.

"What does it say?" Brandon asked, creeping up behind him timidly.

Troy shook his head and put the note back down. He quietly quoted _"You couldn't see me, but I could definitely see you. You'll find me doing a lot of that lately..."_

* * *

**Dun dun dun! Lol, dramatic and funny enough for you? I had lots of fun writing the Chad/Darbus scene. Hopefully we can get more of those two in later :)**

**REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**

**No chapter sneak, sorry. It's late and I have to go to bed :(**

**Trivia:**

**- The song is called Whispers in the Dark by Skillet, which you might have guessed from reading the chapter**

**- Brandon's locker number is number 705 from the Jonas song 7:05**


	10. Superhuman

**Okay, I'm in a verrry good mood here! I saw HSM 3 twice in a week! Well, a week and one day, but that's not the point! God, that movie gave me chills! Especially Troy/Zac's solo, Scream. God, that was flawless! Me and my friend were sitting there squealing and everything! Lol I swear when that comes out on DVD I'll be up at 12 begging my parents to go get it :)**

**Speaking of Disney stars, anyone heard of Zac's new movie, 17 Again? Wait, of course you did. If you didn't, go to Youtube and type in "17 Again Trailer". It looks so awesome! The only thing that pisses me off is that it comes out April 17 :( Oh well. I'll just try to keep myself occupied until then. Okay, enough of my rambling. On with the chapter that you've been waiting for for over a month now (sorry about that...)**

**Chapter 8 - Superhuman**

* * *

Brandon, Troy, and Gabriella drove down the road in Brandon's car after school on the way to the Montez residence. The three were still a bit shaken up by the recent incident that had occurred, but tried their best to ignore it and move on with their day.

Gabriella, however, still wasn't ready to let the subject drop without one more conversation about it. "Guys, do you think we should tell mom about it?"

Brandon immediately shook his head and replied "No. Absolutely not. She's already got enough to worry about without knowing that her kids are being stalked."

Gabriella answered "But think about it Brandon. Shouldn't we warn mom just incase Brick tries to go after her too?"

Brandon's foot gained a mind of its own as it slammed on the brakes, his eyes widening and the other two passengers in the car lurching forward in surprise. He had never thought of that before. The parents. They weren't safe either.

"Dude, what the hell?" Troy exclaimed, congratulating himself for putting on his seat belt when he got in the car.

"You really think he would go after our parents?" Brandon worried, ignoring Troy's retort.

Gabriella shrugged "I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Come on, we need to tell them what's going on, just to be safe."

Brandon sighed and pressed his foot to the gas peddle again. He finally nodded "Okay. We'll tell her about it when we get home."

"Me too?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, especially you. You broke Wolf's plans, so he's probably after you just as much he is me."

Gabriella spoke up "I think the whole gang should. They're in this with us too."

Troy nodded "I'll tell them tomorrow. Brick's not gonna try anything tonight."

Brandon argued "You don't know that Troy. He has a tendency to give a threat and attack in the same day. Remember the mall, Gabriella, and Sharpay?"

Troy retorted "But sometimes he only did it once, like he did with Sharpay. And even if he does attack again, he won't go after our parents. Not yet."

Brandon sighed again, pulling into his driveway. He grabbed his books and stepped out of the car, watching his two friends do the same. "Okay, so how are we gonna tell mom?"

"Tell me what?"

The three teenagers spun around with wide eyes to see Gina standing there, a curious look etched across her face.

Clearing his throat, Brandon started "M-mom. Why'd you sneak up on us like that?"

Gina answered "I came out to congratulate you on your first day of your senior year, but I guess there's a story involved. What's going on?"

Six shoulders dropped and sighs emitted from all three mouths. Gabriella said "We have to tell you something."

"What happened?"

"Just...we'll talk in the kitchen." Gina slowly turned and walked back into the house with her two children and one technical son following her. Once they entered the room, Gina turned to them and said "Okay, so what's going on?"

Gabriella looked at both of the boys, as if expecting them to say something. They looked at her and, in unison, said "What?"

Gabriella shrugged "Tell her."

Troy retorted "It was your idea."

"It was your logic that backed it up."

"But-"

Brandon interrupted the argument with "Whatever, I'll tell her! Just shut up, will you?!"

Brandon turned to his mother and sighed "Mom, something happened in 9th period today."

"What?" Gina asked, slight impatience evident in her voice.

Brandon continued "Brick struck again."

"EXCUSE ME?!" The middle-aged woman shrieked so high dogs could hear her.

Brandon held her by her shoulders and soothed "Mom, mom. Calm down. Just breathe. In and out," he took a deep breath as if to demonstrate how to inhale and exhale. "In and let it out."

As soon as Gina had calmed down (somewhat) she demanded "What right does he have to mess with you at school? How did he even get in?"

Brandon shrugged "I guess he likes air vents."

"This isn't funny Brandon!"

"Mom, I never said it was. I'm just making a suggestion. He must've snuck in through the air vents and shut off all the power."

"Shut off all the power?!" Gina exploded again "Did you have a blackout?!"

"Mom! Breathe!" Brandon reminded her.

Gina ignored him this time. "You guys have to get the police involved!"

Troy shook his head "No, that'll just make things worse. Brick has been to jail countless times and has escaped every time. The police won't do anything. Brick's just like Wolf. The only way we can get rid of him is if we kill him."

"So if we-"

Gabriella stopped her "Mom, don't even."

Gina sighed "So what exactly do you plan on doing about this? This can't go on much longer."

Gabriella nodded "I know. We're all trying to deal with this, but we need help."

"What do you need me to do baby?"

"Well, for one, you can start by not calling the cops."

"Gabby-"

"Mom, no. This is a personal problem that the officials can't be involved in. Trust us with this. Troy did it all by himself for five years, I think six close friends can handle it for a few months." Troy's eyes averted to the ground when Gabriella mentioned the painful chapter of his life that tore him and Brandon apart.

Fortunately, Troy wasn't the only one who was reminded of this. Gina's rosy cheeks faded and her shoulders dropped. She nodded "Okay fine. Are you sure that I can't help you in any way, shape, or form?"

Brandon shook his head "Pretty much just be there for us when we get confused or hurt."

"Like you already do." Troy grinned.

Gina smiled and hugged all three of them "You know I love you, right? All three of you."

Gabriella nodded "Of course we do mom."

"Maybe a little more than some of us deserve." Brandon looked to the floor.

Gina slapped his strong arm "Nonsense! Everybody makes mistakes, that's how you learn. No matter what happens, I'll always love you." **(Okay, this is getting a little cheesy, so I'm gonna stop it there)**

"Thanks mom." Brandon's phone rang from inside his pocket showing a call. Sliding his silver LG Shine open, he answered "Hello...oh hey Mike, what's up...yeah...yeah we only got half done because of that blackout...okay, now...alright, I'll be right over. See ya." He hung up the phone and announced "I gotta go. The team was supposed to rehearse our ending for the dance, but the blackout cut us short so we're practicing over at Michael's. I'll be back later."

"Kay, see you later." Troy called as Brandon grabbed his gym bag and walked out the door.

Gabriella kissed his cheek and pulled back from him "That reminds me, me and the girls were gonna go shopping after school. I'm already late, so I have to go too."

Troy frowned and made a sound like a dog crying from the back of his throat. Gabriella rolled her eyes and smiled "Sorry babe, I have to go. Go see if Chad's doing anything."

"Fine..."

Gabriella kissed him one last time before she grabbed her purse and stalked out the door. Troy sighed and mumbled "Great, now I'm bored..."

Gina giggled "Want to learn how to make my famous brownies?"

Troy's sorrow now flipped into happiness as he exclaimed "My mom would love them for a birthday present next week."

Gina smiled "No problem. I'll show you how to make them into a cake."

"Sweet!"

--

It was 7:00 that night before Gabriella finally came home. She sighed and threw her shopping bags onto the couch in the living room, making half of the clothes spill out of them. She inhaled. Why did the house smell like her mom's brownies?

Shrugging, Gabriella grabbed her bags and ran up the stairs to her room and tossed the bags into the corner of the room, deciding to put them away the next day when she had the energy to. She walked over to her bed and prepared to crash, but stopped herself when she found a plate on her pillow. She walked a little closer and smiled when she found it to be a plate of 5 brownies and a sticky note. She picked up the note and giggled as she read "Remind me to thank your mom for filling my boredom"

Gabriella grabbed hold of the first brownie in her sight and bit half of it, letting the warm chocolate and melted chocolate chips flood her taste buds. She moaned in delight. They were even better than when her mother made them.

Just as she finished the chocolatety treat, her phone rang. Picking it up, she answered "Hello?"

"Hola seniorita." A masculine voice answered.

Gabriella rolled her eyes "Nice Spanish Troy."

Troy laughed "Why thank you. I have it fourth period."

Gabriella groaned "I still don't know why you didn't take French with me and Brandon."

"Because last time I took that in eighth grade I almost failed. I can't even say 'bonjour' right."

"Troy, you just said it perfectly." Gabriella giggled.

Changing the subject, Troy said "So, you get my present. Well, me and your mom's present."

Gabriella smiled "Yeah, thanks. They're delicious. Probably better than when my mom usually makes them. What'd you do differently to them?"

Troy flirted "I added twice the love."

"Aww, you're sweet."

"Not as sweet as you."

"Okay Troy, you're about make me cry."

"Wish I could be there to be your shoulder."

"Are you just _trying_ to make me start crying?" Gabriella asked, feeling her eyes start to well up.

"Maybe..."

Gabriella gasped "Troy Alexander Bolton! What happened to 'I never wanna see you hurt again'?!"

Troy sarcastically answered "I lied Gabby."

Sensing his sarcasm, Gabriella said "Well then, it'll take quite a lot of begging for me to forgive you for that one Bolton."

"Aww, come on Gabs, you know I was kidding. Please forgive me for my totally inappropriate joke."

"Beg for it." She replied in a sing-song voice.

"Okay fine. What's the most romantic thing that I can do over the phone?"

Thinking for a second, Gabriella answered "Sing me my favorite song. And no Troy, I'm not telling you what it is."

"No need. I already know what it is. Ready?"

"Go ahead David Archuleta."

After chuckling, Troy cleared his throat and sang softly:

"**Weak**

**I have been cryin' and cryin' for weeks**

**How'd I survive when I can barely speak**

**Barely eat**

**On my knees**

How was that?"

Gabriella smiled "Perfect."

"Then I believe it's your turn next Ms. Montez."

Gabriella fought back "Oh no, don't try to turn this on me. You're still in the process of being forgiven mister."

"Fine.

**But that's the moment you came to me**

**I don't know what your love has done to me**

**Think I'm invincible **

**I see through the me**

**I used to be"**

Gabriella walked outside to her balcony as he sang to her and smiled, softly humming along with him. When he ended the verse, he said "Want me to continue?"

"Of course!"

"Okay, but this time you _have_ to sing with me, no matter how much trouble I'm in. It sounds better with a girl singing."

Gabriella sighed sarcastically "Fine."

"Okay, you ready?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Suddenly, Gabriella felt two strong arms slither around her waist, pulling her into them. She shrieked and was about to flip around and see who it was before a soft voice entered her ears, singing

"**You changed my whole life**

**Don't know what you're doin' to me with your love"**

Without saying a word to him, Gabriella placed her hands on top of Troy's and, closing her eyes, added her voice to his.

"**I'm feelin' all superhuman**

**You did that to me**

**A superhuman heart beats in me**

**They can't stop me here with you**

**Superhuman**

**I feel so superhuman**

**Superhuman**

**Superhuman"**

As they finished the first chorus together, Gabriella sleekly turned in his hold and wrapped her arms around his neck, staring into his deep, ultramarine eyes. Smiled as he continued filling her stomach with butterflies.

"**Strong**

**Since I've been flyin' and ridin' the wrongs**

**Feels almost like I had it all along**

**I can see tomorrow"**

She took his place in singing:

"**For every problem is gone because**

**I threw everywhere but love inside of me**

**It's unbelievable to see**

**How love could set me free"**

Troy took over, swaying them both back and forth to the beat of the imaginary music continuously.

"**You changed my whole life**

**Don't know what you're doin' to me with your love"**

They finished the rest of the song together.

"**I'm feelin' all superhuman**

**You did that to me**

**A superhuman heart beats in me**

**They can't stop me here with you**

**Superhuman**

**I feel so superhuman**

**Superhuman**

**It's not a bird**

**Not a plane**

**It's my heart and it's goin' gone away**

**My only weakness is you**

**Only reason is you**

**Every minute with you I feel like I can do**

**Anything**

**Goin' goin' I'm gone away**

**Your love**

**You changed my whole life**

**Don't know what your doin' to me with your love**

**I'm feelin' all superhuman**

**You did this to me**

**A superhuman heart beats in me**

**They can't stop me here with you**

**Superhuman**

**Superhuman"**

The couple just stood there from that point on, staring into each other's warm eyes like they were the only people in the world. Their foreheads rested against each others gently while their lips parted to catch their breath, partly from singing but majorly from the love in the moment. They both smiled.

"So am I still in the doghouse?" Troy whispered.

Gabriella giggled and ran a hand through his shaggy hair "I miss having you at the foot of my bed."

Troy laughed slightly and let his lips fall onto hers softly. She separated from him first only to say "Wanna come in? It's a little cold out here."

Troy smiled and, not responding verbally, took her hand in his and walked them both inside the house onto her bed. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, letting her wrap her arms around his neck.

"So," Gabriella started "What inspired you to be romantic and climb up my balcony?"

Troy shrugged "I was waiting outside for about an hour for you to come home and once I finally saw you walk in the door, I started climbing. I guess I just wanted to see if you were okay from what happened today."

Gabriella shrugged and Troy took notice of her sudden downfallen face. "I guess I'm okay. Still a bit scared, but I think I'll live. What about you?"

Troy answered "I'm only okay if you are."

"That's not fair Troy."

"Is it? Or are you just confused?"

"Huh?"

"I take it it's the second one."

Gabriella giggled "You make no sense Wildcat."

Troy rolled his eyes "Gabby, you know as well as I do that I'm not a Wildcat anymore. I quit the team, remember?"

"Who said you needed to be a member of the basketball team to be a Wildcat?"

Troy smiled and extended his neck to place a kiss on Gabriella's lips. "Your logic is scary sometimes."

"That's what you signed up for, isn't it?"

"And I don't regret a second of it."

Gabriella yawned in response "You know what's really scary?"

"What?"

"The fact that it's only 7:20 and I'm already tired."

Troy chuckled "You've had a long day, no wonder you're tired. Here," he lay back on the bed and dragged his girlfriend with him "Just go to sleep."

Gabriella complained "Troooy..."

Troy refused "Gabriella, you know how you get when you're too tired. Just lay back and let the sleep take over you."

"Cheesy much?"

Troy shrugged "Just a little."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, but nonetheless cuddled into her boyfriend's strong, but pillow-like, chest and closed her eyes. Almost instantly her mind started to shut down and switch into sleep mode, but one little thing was preventing her from totally conking out.

"Sing to me again."

Troy smiled and kissed her neck lovingly. "I think David can do that."

He leaned down and softly started his voice back up again:

"**Do you ever think, when you're all alone**

**All that we can be, where this thing can go?**

**Am I crazy or falling in love?**

**Is it really just another crush?**

**Do you catch your breath, when I look at you**

**Are you holding back, like the way I do**

'**Cause I'm tryin, tryin to walk away**

**But I know this crush ain't goin away, goin away..."**

That was all it took. Those 40 seconds of Troy's sweet voice filling Gabriella's half conscious mind was all it took to make her fall limp in his arms and let her breathing cut even. Troy looked down at her and let out a low whistle of admiration. The girl was terrorized and yet she still had the will to fall asleep at night without a problem.

"This crush most _definitely_ isn't going away..." Troy whispered to himself before setting his head down on Gabriella's soft pillow and eventually joining her in dreamland, where it was only the two of them. No one else.

--

Brandon closed the door to his house two hours later, tossing his keys on the office desk in front of him. He shrugged off the gym bag on his back and let it fall to the ground carelessly before heading for the stairs up to his room.

They finally did it. The dance team had finally perfected their routine ending. Brandon smiled to himself. Words couldn't explain the feeling he got when he learned another dance that he could perform for his friends and family. It was like an author writing a story. The journey was fun and difficult, but when you looked at the result in the end, you realize that all your effort was worth it. It turned into something amazing.

Brandon marched up the stairs and viewed the door to his room in his line of vision, but he couldn't help but turn his head to the left. Gabriella's room. Brandon sighed. Maybe he would just check on her.

He turned and shuffled over to his sister's bedroom quietly, just in case she was asleep. He doubted it. The girl was usually up until ten thirty.

Brandon opened the door a crack and peered inside, having his eyes land on his twin sister lying on her side and her breathing evenly paced. Wow. She _was_ asleep.

Brandon looked further into the room and grinned, shaking his head slowly. There was no mistaking the large body laying beside his sister. Troy lay there, his eyes closed as well. Brandon chuckled. What was with these people and going to bed early all of a sudden?

Just as he was about to turn out Gabriella's light, Brandon got an idea. He tiptoed inside the room and over to Gabriella's bedside table where her phone lay. He took hold of it and flipped it open, clicking on the camera shortcut button. He then reached over top of Gabriella's slumbering form and into Troy's hoodie pocket. He pulled out his cell and got the camera feature set up as well. He held each phone in his hands and on the imaginary count of three, Brandon clicked the capture button. He looked over each photo and grinned, satisfied. The teen quickly did a few more things with the phones before putting them back where he got them and sneaking back out of the room, trying his hardest not to bust out laughing.

--

The next morning, Troy groaned and opened his eyes slightly, looking around at his surroundings. White walls, random art hung up everywher, and a pink bedspread. Yup. He was definitely in Gabriella's room.

_It's Tuesday... _Troy quickly reached in his pocket and grabbed his phone to check the time. 6:00 AM. He sighed in relief. They wouldn't be late for school.

Before flipping the phone closed, he took a look at the wallpaper. _What the..._ Troy jogged his memory to try and remember when he or _anybody_ for that matter had taken this picture of him and Gabriella together. He took a closer look. Were they asleep? And wearing the same clothes they were right now? What in the world was-

"_Oh wait a minute," _Troy thought to himself, a smug grin forming on his face _"I know who took this..."_

He turned and shook Gabriella awake, whispering "Gabby, wake up."

"Huh?" Gabriella murmured, sitting up ever so slightly and opening her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Check your phone." Troy grinned.

Gabriella yawned and reached over to her bedside table to get her phone and check the clock. She flipped it open, but didn't read the time. What really startled her was the wallpaper.

"Is that us?" She asked, looking over at Troy.

Troy nodded "Yeah, it was taken last night."

"Did you take it?"

Troy shook his head "Nope. I'm asleep too."

"Well then who could've-"

She stopped herself and smiled, shaking her head. "Oh, I know who it was..."

The couple said in unison "Brandon."

* * *

**Lol I had half a mind to call this chapter "Isn't That Sweet?" but I stopped myself. So there you go. An update that is long overdue and it's mostly just fluff. Don't get used to it. Drama coming up soon :)**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**Trivia:**

**- The song is Superhuman by Chris Brown. I'm pretty much addicted to it right now**

**- The second song is the chorus to Crush by David Archuleta**

**- In case you didn't figure it out, Troy said "I think David can do that" referring back to when Gabriella said "Go ahead David Archuleta."**

**- Gabriella and Brandon are taking French because that's the language I'm taking in school (We had a choice between French, Spanish, German, and Latin) Only I have it first period**


	11. Love Can Be Convincing

**During my massive and unnecessary update span, I read a book that everyone's been raving about lately and thought that they were all just pitiful low-lives looking for something to obsess over. My friend, who hates reading, read this long-ass book and told me how awesome it was. I finally went to Borders and bought it. **

**Almost 500 pages and I finished it in about 3 days. What is this mystery book you say? Hint... **

**I now call myself Rachel Cullen.**

**I FREAKIN' LOVE **_**TWILIGHT**_**!!!**

**I just saw the movie on Friday and, although it was different from the book, it was super intense! Holy crap, that was awesome! I ordered **_**New Moon**_** (the second book) from Amazon and I can't wait to get it! But I'm pissed that I won't get it until December 15, but oh well! Target was sold out and Borders didn't have it.**

**So since that book inspired me so much, I'm trying to improve my writing skills to try to be a lot more detailed like the book was. Also, if you've read it, I'm probably going to base a few romantic scenes off of Bella and Edward. So be prepared! And if you haven't read it yet, get off your ass and get it! You won't regret it!**

**Chapter 9 – Love Can Be Convincing**

* * *

It was Thursday; four days into the new school year, when Troy and Brandon found themselves in the gym after school helping Jack clean up. The freshmen had just had their 9th period practice and due to lost track of time, they threw their claimed basketballs every which way and ran to the locker rooms. That only meant that Jack had to clean it up. Boy would they get a piece of his mind tomorrow...

"Next time I'm gonna make those idiots scrub the whole gym _and_ clean the balls..." Jack grumbled to himself as he finished picking up the last three balls.

Brandon laughed "And I'm gonna be the one watching and yelling 'Those aren't the only balls you'll have to tend to after coach gets done with you!'." Jack laughed and slapped his and Brandon's hand into a high five.

Troy smiled at his dad. Jack had been transferred to head captain of the East High Wildcats after Wolf had died and when he did, all that remained of the loyal team were so happy that they ditched practice to run around the school screaming "WOLF'S DEAD!!! WOLF'S DEAD!!!" Since he was also the male population's gym teacher, every single guy in the building threw their arms in the air and screamed "OH JESUS, THANK YOU!!!" Wolf was also known as the school pedophile, as he loved to flirt with his female students. As soon as the semi-tragic information entered the girls' ears, they ditched their frequently worn sweatshirts and hoodies, threw them aside, and ran around in their tight camis', shrieking "WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET RAPED!!!"

The news also pleased many basketball fans who wanted onto the team, but were all too terrified of Wolf to even consider trying out. The moment Jack was proposed the job, about 50 boys ran up to him in an eager herd, bombarding him with excided questions about when the next tryout was going to be. Jack just smiled and laughed at their enthusiasm. He understood what it must have been like for them to not be able to stand up to Wolf and try out for a place on the team. He held a tryout for a fresh team at the end of that week.

Chad, Zeke, and Jason rejoined the team on account that they wouldn't get mangled to exhaustion anymore in practice. Even though the past 5 years had been pretty hard on everybody, they had a strong passion for basketball that they couldn't ignore. They just had to get involved again.

But, to everyone's disappointment, Troy did not return to the team. He was happy for all the brave souls that were now taking part in the activity, but he still stayed away from it completely. He dropped by the tryouts, watching each teenage hopeful carefully to evaluate their performance and see if they were cut out to be a Wildcat, but that was about as close as he got. Even though he was considered the best player in the whole state, the memories of getting beaten and abused by Wolf would forever be as fresh as the moment they individually happened over the past few years. He didn't want to bring them back up too soon.

Jack finished loading the balls onto the rolling cart and dusted his hands as though he'd been dealing with something grimy. He sighed "Okay, I think that's the last of them. Brandon, help me wheel these into the storage closet." Brandon wordlessly nodded and strolled up to his second father to help him with the steel cart.

"I'll wait here." Troy called after Brandon, who just sent him the simple gesture of widening his eyes for a split second and nodding his head once.

As the silver cart rolled out of the large doors, it bumped against the wall and rocked the semi-heavy load occupying it. The ball on the very end of the last shelf received the most force and was departed from the cart, almost silently dropping onto the floor behind Brandon's feet.

"Hey Bran-" Too late. They were already out the door. Troy just sighed.

He was about to make the simple decision to walk over and pick up the rubber ball to take it back to his father, but for some reason, he couldn't move his feet. He just froze on the spot, staring at the small, worn sphere lying on the ground like it was a child who just fell onto the rough pavement and cut his knee. He knew he should go over and take it back to where it was supposed to be, but he just stood there like a deer caught in headlights. What was wrong with him?

Suddenly, his thoughts drastically changed courses in the matter of a second. The ball's invisible face glared and grinned evilly at him, mocking the teen of his past. Troy soon realized that it was dangerous for his sanity to be standing here and staring at the thing for so long, just waiting to be pushed over the edge. He knew that he never looked at a basketball the same since Wolf invaded his life, never even worn a jersey and bragged about how awesome it was anymore. He remembered how he and Brandon used to love basketball with a passion until that fateful day five, long years ago. Sure, there were moments when Wolf wasn't around that Troy loved basketball worry-free, but those were scarce. Then it hit him.

Wolf didn't just take part of Troy's passion when he died. He took most of his dignity along with him.

Troy bowed his head to the floor in shame. He couldn't even look at a simple, dingy little clump of rubber for more than a hot second without his stomach churning and his chest tightening in regret. Wolf destroyed Troy's strength. That part of him was gone. Shattered even. And he had an overwhelming feeling that it would never heal.

He never knew how he got from his spot in the middle of the room to the other side of the gym, right beside the ball. He bent down and slowly took it in his hands, feeling the course texture for the first time in months. He couldn't bear to touch them earlier when he was helping his dad clean up the gym. He just kicked them to the cart hastily to be gathered by the other two males. Brandon and Jack sensed this, so they just let it slide without any explanation from the suffering teen.

Troy threw it around in his hands for a few seconds before his eyes slid to the basket overhead. His blurred thoughts swirled in his head as he contemplated the thought _"Should I?"_

Before he knew what he was doing, Troy found himself at the half court line, aiming the ball for the basket. He held his breath as he propelled the ball from his hands, watching it soar through the air and fly toward the rim. He closed his eyes as he saw it get closer and the next thing he knew...

Swish.

He sighed and half ran for the ball on the end of the court. He took his place in front of the basket again, only this time a little further back, and tossed it once more. History repeated itself to a T as the ball met with the white webbing that was the basket. Troy groaned sadly.

He tried again five more times, succeeding each time before he heard the back doors open and footsteps enter the large room, echoing off of the walls. Troy looked up and back down again at the ball when he saw who it was.

"Never thought you'd be back here again, huh?" Brandon started, a small, nervous smile crossing his face.

Troy shrugged, taking the ball back in his hands again, shooting it to the basket. "Everyone's gotta face their fears sometime. Why not start now?"

"You don't have to do it alone, you know," Brandon offered "I think I still have a few skills left from seventh grade." They grimly laughed at the joke a little before Troy declined "Nah, I have to do this on my own."

Brandon gave an understanding nod. "How long?"

Troy shot the ball a little angrily, making it his eighth basket. "Wolf may have been an insane serial killer, but he was right about one thing. If you shoot ten baskets in a row without practicing for at least a month, you're a natural player," He shot it again. "Damn it..." he grumbled, glaring as it fell cleanly through the net.

Brandon pitied his best friend. He always thought of him as one of the strongest people he ever knew, but here he was. Facing his fear of basketball trying to prove to himself that he had it all cleaned out of his system. Here he was, failing to get rid of his past.

Shaking his head free of those disloyal thoughts, he asked "How many do you have left?"

Troy took four giant steps back so that he was now shooting a full court shot. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes tightly, making a desperate attempt to miss this shot. He dropped one hand down to his side and, giving the ball a powerful head start, launched it. He kept them closed as he heard the dreaded sound retaliate off of the net and fall onto the wooden court. He looked up at Brandon with broken eyes, whispering dryly "None..."

"Wow," Brandon sadly commented, watching the ball roll around on the ground mercilessly. "You still have skills."

"I know," Troy nodded, gulping back the growing lump in his throat. "That's what sucks so bad."

Brandon glared at the ball as it rolled over to him, his hands curling into fists inside his hoodie pocket. He kept it in place with his foot, adding excess pressure as if wanting to crush it to death. "I'll go take this back."

Troy gave him a ghost of a smile, thanking him silently. "I'll wait in the car."

He watched Brandon walk out with the ball gripped tightly in his angry hands and sighed shakily. _So weak_, he thought to himself bleakly. How could he allow it to get this far? How could someone he hated so much have such a titanic effect on him when they were dead? He hung his head as he came up with a reason.

"Too weak..." he whispered to himself, the sound of Wolf's hideous laugh haunting him the whole way to his car.

--

Brandon smiled widely as he picked up his ringing phone and checking the caller ID. He slid it open and quickly pressed the green talk button, answering "Hello beautiful girlfriend."

There was a soft giggle on the other line "Hello gorgeous boyfriend. How are you doing on this glorious day?"

Brandon chuckled "Much, much better now that I've got your voice lodged in my head."

Isabelle's humorous tone suddenly changed to curiosity "What's going on?"

Brandon sighed, still attached to Troy's depressed attitude earlier "Your cousin, that's what's going on. He was shooting hoops after school today."

Isabelle gasped, as she was well aware of Troy's sudden rebellion against the sport, so she was just as shocked as Brandon. "Why in his right mind would he do that?"

Brandon carefully explained "He told me that he was checking to see if he was a natural player. If he shot ten in a row without practicing for a month, he was a born pro."

There was a short pause between the couple "I'm not following." Isabelle finally replied.

"Wolf told him before he died."

"Not that little bastard again," Isabelle groaned in an angry voice "Please don't tell me that Troy listened to him."

Brandon shrugged "That's what I thought when he first told me, but...I don't know babe. It kind of makes sense if you think about it long enough."

Isabelle huffed "Well then I guess I've got to think it through for a while longer because I'm still mad."

Brandon grinned at her defensive exterior "Down girl. Troy's gonna be fine."

"He better..."

"Don't worry," Brandon reassured teasingly "If you're really that upset over it, you can try to talk to him when you fly down here for the dance tomorrow." Sparks of electricity flew up and down his spine as he imagined the thought of having Isabelle in his arms for the first time in three weeks.

Isabelle stayed silent on the other line for a minute before she sighed "Brandon, I don't know if I can go."

Brandon suddenly jerked up from his horizontal position on his bed, alarmed at her sudden decision. "What?! Why?! Did something else come up or-"

Isabelle stopped him "No, no, but-you'll probably think I'm a huge chicken for this..."

"No, never." Brandon softly retorted.

Isabelle smiled slightly at his kind words, but still worried aloud "I don't know if I can take it after what happened last year."

Brandon closed his eyes and took a calming breath through his nose, sitting down on his bed and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "God, not this again..."

Isabelle groaned "I'm sorry. But I just don't know. I still have nightmares about it."

Brandon sighed deeply and sternly told her "Izzy, listen to me. Josh is in _jail_. He will be until you're out of college. He doesn't know where you are or where you live. He probably doesn't even know that there's a dance tomorrow."

Isabelle sighed, signaling that she was listening "I know. I know..."

Brandon continued "And if something _were_ to happen, with Josh or _anyone_ else, you know that me and the gang are here for you, right?"

"Yeah, always."

"Then there's nothing to be afraid of!" Brandon exclaimed, knowing that she had gotten his point. "You're safe with us no matter what."

Isabelle said "I know that, but every time I think of the dance tomorrow, I remember what happened in the closet and I feel this sick pressure on my arms and shoulders. Then I try to imagine you saving me, but all I see is Josh..." Her voice trailed off in a high-pitched squeak and Brandon heard her gasping for breath on the other line. He knew that happened when she was trying to restrain from crying.

He quickly cut in "Hey, hey, hey, don't cry! Calm down and just breathe."

Isabelle whimpered a little over the phone, but still sniffed back the rest of her tears and nodded "I'm sorry, but I'm just scared that something like it will happen again."

Brandon gave an understanding nod that she couldn't see "Well don't worry. Those feelings should go away after tomorrow because we are going to have an _AMAZING_ night, okay?"

Isabelle sniffed one last time before mustering up her little remaining confidence and exclaiming "Yeah! Thanks."

Brandon grinned smugly to himself "No problem. Love can be convincing."

Just as Isabelle was about to reply, Brandon heard Gabriella's loud yell from downstairs calling "Brandon! Dinner!"

Brandon suppressed a disappointed groan as he sighed "Babe, I have to go. See you tomorrow?"

Isabelle's tears had now vanished from existence as she agreed "Definitely. I love you."

Brandon's heart fluttered as he heard those three words that always set his insides to flames. "Love you more than you can imagine. Bye."

"Bye." Isabelle flipped her phone shut and flipped to her right where her wooden bedside table stood, holding her lamp, iPod, and a few pictures of random things. Her favorite was a picture of her and Brandon that was taken in the summer at Lava Springs. Isabelle was in her favorite striped bikini and Brandon was in his green checkered trunks, both of them wet from just getting out of the pool. Isabelle was perched on Brandon's back with her legs wrapped around his torso and her arms wrapped around his chest, smiling with her head lying in the crook of his neck. Brandon was holding her legs up to support her and he too was smiling his most beautiful smile, his teeth gleaming in the afternoon sun. That was Isabelle's favorite picture of the two. Their love broke through the camera lense and shone into the eyes of anyone who looked at it.

Isabelle smiled warily and took the picture in her hands, lying down on her bed with it cemented to her chest. She gazed upon Brandon's smiling face and grinned at it, closing her eyes.

"One more day," she whispered to herself "Be strong. Just one more day..."

* * *

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**P.S: NEW POLL ON MY PROFILE!!! BE SURE TO GIVE YOUR OPINION!!!**

**Sneak At Next Chapter:**

**- The dance you've been waiting for finally arrives!**

_**Brandon stepped out of the car and looked through the glass doors into the school where it was dark, but flashes of colored light could be seen jumping around the walls. He smirked. It was perfect.**_

_**- More fluff from both couples**_

_**(Can't give anything away, sorry)**_

_**- The next threat is set up**_

_**Troy slammed his locker shut and walked around the corner casually, only to be bombarded with a heavy weight pushing him to the ground forcefully.**_

_**"What the-" Troy groaned, holding his throbbing head with a trembling hand.**_

_**"TROY!!! HE'S GOT HER!!!" a worried, but familiar voice shouted in Troy's ear, enhancing his headache.**_

_**"What? Who has who?" Troy asked shakily, cracking his left eye open slightly.**_

_**"Brick! He's got-"**_


	12. Best Dance Ever

**First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Kay, now I got that out of the way...  
**

**Wow. The last time that I gave you guys a chapter, I was waiting on the second Twilight book, New Moon. I'm reading Breaking Dawn, the last one, now, so...yeah. It's been a while and I'm sorry for that. I hope I'm not losing my passion for writing. That would unconditionally and irrevocably SUCK!!!**

**Chapter 10 – Best Dance Ever**

* * *

_Tick, tock, tick, tock..._

Brandon groaned again, tapping his pencil impatiently against the irritated, empty surface of his desk and watching the clock's tiny hands slug to each number. 2:29. Just one more minute until that glorious bell that would allow him to take off out of the building and to the only place that he'd been thinking about nonstop all day would ring. Troy's house. Where a certain blonde, who was probably as impatient as he was right now, was standing and waiting for him with open arms.

He bit back another growl as the hands on the clock seemed to go even slower than before. He knew that it was only because he was staring it down with furious eyes, but the fact of the matter was that no matter how angry he got at the time that seemed to move like frozen molasses, he wasn't the one in charge here. He could get mad for as long as his little heart desired, but it wasn't his choice to decide when the damn bell would ring. He would just have to wait for a short, 45 seconds more until he could see her. Until he could run up to her, hug her, kiss her, have her whisper those three, immortal words to him that would improve his homicidal mood right now...

_Oh my God, eternity has to be shorter than this! _He felt the need to shout the words out to the entire class who, unlike him, were working carefully and quietly on their homework. He had finished all of his earlier in the period to try and distract himself from the image of the beautiful blonde that was hopefully waiting for him too. Her bright blue eyes exuberant and complimenting the amazing outfit she had probably pulled together, looking like a model walking straight out of a magazine. Her wide, animated smile flashing a large array of white, pearly teeth. Her perfect, full lips that moved graciously and, at times, fiercely against Brandon's that made him shiver at the memory of the last time he kissed that flawless skin on her perfect body.

_Oh good Lord..._ His fist came down on the desk as a low growl that he couldn't suppress slipped from his throat. He almost didn't even notice all the heads that rose from their bowed position to stare at him, their faces contorted into a look of pure confusion and slight annoyance. It only lasted a second before they reverted back to their schoolwork.

Brandon was just about to bash his forehead into the desktop before a folded piece of paper landed on the imaginary target. He looked over at Troy, whose head was hovered over what looked to be history homework, but his hand was slowly motioning over toward the note, his index finger moving in a circular motion as if saying "Open it."

Brandon did as he was told and flipped it open, reading the note with curious eyes.

_Get a freakin' hold of yourself already! Don't worry, she's not going anywhere. Just calm down and relax. Jeez..._

He turned back to his best friend in order to quietly hiss "Easy for you to say!"

Troy just slightly shook his head, letting Brandon know that he was rolling his eyes behind the curtain of bangs hiding them.

_But,_ Brandon thought to himself, _maybe he's right. It's not like she'll change her mind or anything. I'm probably just losing my mind over nothing and overreacting. Like any normal boyfriend would._ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth slowly, calmly. _Deep breath, you're fine._

And then the bell rang.

Before Darbus even looked up to say goodbye to her students, Brandon was already out the door leaving nothing behind him but a trail of wind that followed him out the door. The force of his escape caused the desk to squeak against the tiled floor and jerk to the side, making it now lopsided and out of line with the rest of the row. Troy just rolled his eyes again.

"H-have a nice weekend ladies and gentlemen." Darbus dismissed them without even looking out at her audience, instead trying to figure out what had caused Brandon's sudden delivery of speed. She looked over at Troy in hope of an answer. Troy just muttered three words: "Isabelle's in town."

"Ah, that explains it." Darbus sat back and continued to read her thick novel.

Troy and Gabriella calmly gathered their belongings together and walked out of the classroom semi-slowly, taking their sweet time in getting out to the car that Brandon was probably already standing beside. He had gotten everything he needed from his locker before the final period had started, for he had his plan together when he anxiously woke up that morning from a restless, impatient sleep.

After stopping at their designated lockers, Troy and Gabriella walked out to the parking lot hand in hand, seeking the place out for Troy's car and Brandon. When Troy's eyes suddenly scanned across his silver vehicle, a loud chuckle escaped his lips.

Sure enough, there Brandon stood, his arms crossed tightly across his chest, his foot tapping violently against the worn pavement, and his face carved into a hard, homicidal glower. His lips were pressed into a tight line and his eyes wide with anger. The sudden rush of blood to his face just confirmed it. He was about to blow a gasket.

"Could you slugs _get _any slower?!" Brandon spat, spreading his arms to emphasize his fury. "I was about to drive to the house without you!"

"And what would my parents think if they saw you and _only_ you getting out of _my_ car?" Troy argued with a grin.

Brandon just glared harder "They would probably understand since there is the next best thing to an angel standing in that house, now _come on_!"

Gabriella just rolled her eyes and waved him off as though he were nothing to worry about "Geez, calm down already. It's not like she'll just run off if you're a few minutes late."

"We wouldn't _be_ late if you idiots had picked up the freakin' pace!"

Troy just laughed at his impatience and fished his keys out of his pocket, heading for the driver's side. Before he even had a hand on the door handle, the keys were snatched from his hand. "I'm driving." Brandon demanded.

"Excuse me?"

Brandon rolled his eyes as though it were painfully obvious. "You honestly think that I'm gonna let you drive at the normal speed limit when I've got somewhere to be?"

"You think I'm gonna let you?"

Brandon didn't reply right away; he just glowered at Troy and then growled "I'm. Driving."

Troy backed up a few steps and teasingly said "Jeez, okay. Don't give yourself a brain hemorrhage."

Brandon, once again, rolled his eyes and swiftly opened the door to launch himself inside. Troy followed. As soon as he and Gabriella were in their seats, they grabbed the seat belt and strapped it tightly across themselves, afraid of Brandon's driving already.

Brandon revved the engine and after checking to make sure there was nobody behind him, pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the street, pushing the speedometer needle way past his personal limit. His eyes focused on the road passing too quickly under the tires and his jaw hardened with each passing second. The leg that wasn't on the gas peddle started to shake violently in anticipation.

In less than half the ten minutes that it usually took them to get home, Brandon found himself swiftly turning into the Bolton driveway. His books were in his hands before the car was even shut off.

Troy and Gabriella also unbuckled their seat belt and grabbed their things. When they looked up, the driver's door was being slammed shut and Brandon's figure retreated from the vehicle to speed inside the house

Gabriella rolled her eyes and turned to her boyfriend. "He's so desperate."

Troy just chuckled in response, giving her a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Wouldn't you be that way if we were separated?"

She looked at him with slight horror, trying to block out the heartbreaking thought from her mind. "Don't even joke like that, Troy..."

He grinned and pulled her chin up to his face. "You know I'd never let it happen."

"Still, you know how Brick is. What his twisted mind can come up with."

Troy's face hardened instantly and his eyes tightened into an angry glare. "There's nothing in his twisted mind that we couldn't counter together. I'll never let him hurt you again, even if it means I have to stop him by hand."

She smirked, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere, and replied "Can I kick him in the nuts if you have to?"

He smiled – a smile that barely touched his eyes – and answered "Go crazy."

Gabriella smiled back and, pecking him on the lips one last time, exited the car with an amused look. She could see it now. Isabelle crushed tightly against Brandon's large frame while she spun around in his arms, begging him to stop as she squealed.

She waited for Troy to gather his things before he stepped out of the car and joined hands with her, his eyes now more calm. She smiled at him and started for the front door.

The couple walked through the door and stepped into the kitchen, where they found Brandon leaning against the refrigerator heaving oxygen in and out of his lungs, his eyes closed. Troy and Gabriella giggled, knowing that he had run into the house too fast and was now paying the price.

Lucy was already in the room and she had her head down, slicing carrots for dinner that night and grinning slightly. She laughed quietly at Brandon, although it didn't match the sorrowful look in her eyes.

Troy snorted "Need an inhaler?"

Brandon glared at him. "Shut up." He exhaled.

Lucy looked up at the new addition to the room. "Hey guys. How was school?"

Gabriella grinned teasingly at her brother. "Amusing." Brandon turned his annoyed eyes to her as well.

Troy added "Yeah, it was like watching a criminal waiting for a death sentence, only without all the fear."

"You're pushing it, Bolton..." Troy fought back a laugh at Brandon's harsh warning.

Brandon took one more deep breath before he finally decided that he had regained control of it and asked "So, is she here?" Troy could plainly see the sparkle in his eyes that appeared whenever he spoke of his girlfriend of nearly half a year. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Lucy barely lifted her head, but she averted her eyes to Brandon and stared at him with sadness and a tad bit of worry. "About that..."

Brandon frowned at her tone.

Lucy continued dryly "H-her mother had an emergency meeting from across the state that would last her a few days. Izzy had to stay and baby-sit Sarah. I'm sorry Brandon."

Brandon didn't even hear her last words. Everything muted after "Izzy had to stay" He could feel his body numbing and his open mouth dropping open a little further. His heart skipped a few beats and his thoughts immediately fogged, not letting him think clearly at all. Isabelle couldn't come? She wasn't here?

He felt a hand on his shoulder but didn't turn to acknowledge it. "Brandon? Are you okay?"

Troy's voice brought him back to reality and his broken heart started beating painfully against his chest again. "She's not here?" He wasn't even conscious enough to realize the stupidity of his question.

Lucy shook her head, looking down at the counter.

Gabriella slowly walked over to her brother and rubbed his back, whispering "I'm sorry, Brandon. Are you sure you're alright?"

Brandon was gazing at the floor with tears lining his eyes, but his will blocked them from leaking. His once broad shoulders slumped and his legs didn't receive the feeling back yet. He tried to gulp down the lump in his throat and nodded his pale face slowly. "I guess," he muttered, trying not to let all of his heartbreak empty through his mouth. "I don't know." He finally sighed truthfully.

"Do you think you'll be able to go to the dance tonight?" Troy asked, careful not to set him off by being too ignorant.

Brandon seemed to think about it for a short second before nodding. "Yeah, I have to go whether I like it or not. I guess I'll have to fake all the enthusiasm."

Gabriella leaned her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso, feeling tears of her own building in her eye sockets. "This sucks..."

Brandon nodded, letting a lone tear escape his eye. "I can't believe this. I got all worked up about seeing her and taking her on that date tonight after the dance, but now-" He cut himself off as his voice cracked. He just closed his eyes and leaned his head against his sister's. Not even the sweet aroma of her hair could comfort him now. His only sense of peace at the moment was two states away, probably sitting on her bed crying her eyes out. He could relate. As soon as he got home from the dance, he was going to do something he never usually did. Go to bed early. Forget staying up until three, partying with friends. His lover, his other half wasn't here at his side. What was the point in celebrating?

"Okay, that's it! I can't take this anymore!" An emotional, watery voice suddenly came from around the corner. Brandon and Gabriella's heads snapped up to see Lucy grinning smugly, but with a little regret in her eyes. She flashed her teeth and turned to watch the blonde run out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Brandon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped again. "Izzy?!"

Isabelle stood there, her hand over her mouth and her blue eyes bulging with tears. Her other hand was delicately placed over her chest as she whimpered "We're going on a date?"

Brandon didn't reply. His arm went limp around Gabriella's waist and his body drained of all color as well as feeling, once again.

Troy chuckled behind him "If he doesn't wake out of that coma, you won't be."

Gabriella flipped around to face him as she snapped "Why are you so happy? You knew about this?"

"You didn't? I thought my dad told you."

"Well, obviously he didn't! This is just mean!" Even though Brandon couldn't see it, he could practically hear the smile forming on her face.

But even with her shrieking behind him, Brandon could do nothing but stare at Isabelle in awe. She had, if possible, gotten more beautiful than the last time he'd seen her three weeks ago. Her spotless, tan skin caught in the perfect sunlight emerging in through the window had gotten a shade darker, probably from all the sun she was getting in San Francisco. Her hair, straight last time he'd seen her, was now in natural, fresh waves which were probably produced from a quick shower earlier that day after the plane ride. Her eyes, despite the reflection from the tears, glowed brighter every time he laid eyes on her. A perfect, flawless goddess, all his, standing only ten feet away from him, had tricked him?

"Izzy..." He repeated, starting to believe this dream-like haze that was now wearing off.

Isabelle wailed "I'm sorry Brandon! I'm so sorry!" She was now rushing to him at full speed, her eyes already closed. "I didn't know you'd react like that! I feel so bad!"

As soon as her arms wound around his waist, all of the life fell back into him at lighting speed. He looked down at the crying beauty tight against his body and inhaled, closing his eyes slowly. Just like Troy had said, it was like waiting for a death sentence and just as he thought it was over for him, the judge offers him parole. The nightmare was over.

Brandon smiled a toothy grin and crushed her against his chest even more, burying his face in her hair. "That was just cruel and unusual punishment..." He joked with a laugh as he planted his lips against her scalp.

Isabelle sniffed and giggled "I know. There's your revenge for making fun of my Evanescence obsession."

"That was twice the damage," he muttered, still smiling. "So I owe you one back."

She pulled back to examine his perfect face, her lip curving up into a sarcastic grin. "That's not fair."

Brandon rolled his eyes "It's perfectly fair and you know it. Now," He kissed the salty tears off of her face as he paused. "What to deprive you of...hmm...oh! I got one!"

"What is it?" she warily asked, biting her lip.

Brandon leaned down with his eyes already half closed, signaling a kiss. She smiled and stood up on her toes, ready to meet his lips.

She was met with nothing more than his sweet breath being blown against her mouth. Her eyes snapped open and she saw Brandon's face, not even an inch from hers, smiling devilishly. "Gotcha..."

"Oh come on!" She tried lurching forward, but he pressed their foreheads together to prevent her from doing so. She whimpered.

"Not so fun when you have to wait, is it?"

"This is ridiculous, you stubborn idiot."

Brandon just grinned wider. "That wasn't very nice, Blondie. I'm going to have to punish you for that."

"Jackass..."

He gasped in false offense. "I'm still counting here. That's two."

She whimpered, her eyes becoming larger than normal and her lashes fluttering softly. Her lower lip jutted out into a pout and a high-pitched crying sound came from her throat. She sounded like a puppy begging for a belly-rub.

Brandon closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and then opening them again. He knew exactly what she was doing. Trying to make him feel guilty about his sarcasm and tempting him out of his punishment. It worked.

"You're lucky I'm so hungry for you right now, otherwise I wouldn't be holding you this close."

Isabelle, still giving her puppy-dog pout, smiled a half grin, fluttering her lashes.

Brandon leaned down and brushed his lips gently against her bottom lip, wishing that she would so desperately give up this unnecessary begging. He felt her smile and whisper "Give up yet?"

"Only if you do, gorgeous."

Isabelle just giggled and jumped, wrapping her legs around his torso. She grabbed his face in between her hands and finally leaned in, pressing her lips against his lovingly.

"Aww!" someone said behind them. "That is so SICK! Get a room, horn dogs!"

"Shut up, Chad." Brandon growled against Isabelle's lips, still gripping her waist tightly against his body.

Chad rolled his eyes and turned to Troy. "Sorry I got here late. Did he cry?"

Troy busted out laughing, earning a sharp slap on the arm by Gabriella. "Oh yeah. I actually started to feel guilty for a second."

"And throw away everything I ever taught you?" Chad gasped, faking devastation. "Not a chance!"

Brandon and Isabelle just ignored their teasing, too caught up in each other's presence to notice the friendly cruelty. They eventually separated and Brandon stroked her smooth hair. "When did you get here?"

Isabelle sighed, inhaling the aroma of Brandon's natural scent and laying her head against his shoulder. She felt even more at ease when she was around him since he stopped wearing cologne two months ago. "About three hours ago," she answered softly, running her fingers up and down the surface of his solid, muscular chest. "I was actually considering sprinting to the school as soon as I saw your house."

She smiled as she heard his deep laugh. "How strange. I was thinking about running home at lunch a few hours ago."

"Great minds think alike?"

He smiled gracefully. "Two heads are better than one."

Just as Isabelle was about to crush her lips to his again, a hand came between them to push Brandon's face away from hers. "Okay, love bugs. That's enough." Brandon and Isabelle turned their heads to glare at Troy.

"That's two, Bolton..."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Don't you have to go set up for your dance tonight?"

"That's not until another hour and a half, dummy."

Troy eyed the two's position and wrinkled his nose. Isabelle was still firmly wrapped around his waist and Brandon's hand had moved down from her hips to under her butt for better support. Not that she minded. "Yeah, well, I would still appreciate it if you would stop groping my cousin. You may be my best friend, but I still gotta put my foot down at some point."

A growl rumbled deep inside Brandon's chest, but he let his girlfriend down with great reluctance. "I'll be delivering your revenge for this shortly."

"I'll be waiting."

Brandon rolled his eyes and turned to the blonde beside him, his hostile mood instantly melting away. "So about tonight, after the dance..."

Isabelle smiled "I can't wait. What are we doing?"

Brandon chuckled, tucking a lock of loose hair behind her ear and snaking his arm around her waist again. "Now what kind of surprise would it be if I told you?"

"Ba-abe..." she whined, pouting again.

He placed a finger on her lips, stopping her from going further. "I don't wanna hear it. You'll just have to wait. It'll be worth it when you see what I'm planning."

Troy butted into their conversation suddenly. "What _are_ you planning? You never told me."

"Not a chance."

Troy grimaced. "Wow, she's right. You _are_ a jackass."

"Love you too," A muffled chorus of Three Days Grace's song "Animal I Have Become" suddenly filled the short-lived silence. Brandon slid his phone open and answered "Hello...yeah...ugh, are you serious? Wait, is she okay...fine, I'll be right there. See ya." He shoved the phone back in his pocket and announced with a sigh "Kendra just broke her leg tripping down the steps. We gotta rearrange the dance now, so I gotta run. See you guys later." He turned to Isabelle and pulled her into a kiss, releasing most of the passion that he felt for her into it. His lips lingered on hers as he murmured "I'll see you tonight."

Isabelle smiled when he finally allowed her to breathe. "Good luck. I love you."

"I love you too."

--

Brandon stepped out of the car and looked through the glass doors into the school where it was dark, but flashes of colored light could be seen jumping around the walls. He smirked. It was perfect.

"Ready to rock this?" Troy asked, coming up behind him. Brandon smiled widely. "Never been more ready in my entire life."

Troy laughed, pushing him into the building by his shoulder. "Well then let's go. You gotta go get warmed up."

Brandon smiled and exchanged the secret handshake between him and Troy, consisting of pounding each other's fists, slapping their hands, pretending to spit in their hands, and then shaking hands once again.

"Eww! Okay, I gotta know; what the hell _is_ that?" Brandon turned and smiled at Isabelle's disgusted, beautiful face. "It's a metaphor," he answered "We pretend to spit because that shows that we trust each other."

"How'd you manage to think that up?"

"I can't remember. We started when we were ten, I think."

Isabelle giggled and took Brandon's hand in hers. "I want to say it's creative, but obviously I can't right now."

Brandon leaned down and pecked her lips once. "It's okay, you'll get used to it."

Just as Isabelle was about to deepen the kiss, Brandon was torn away from her. "Dude!" Michael screamed in his ear "I'm so excited! This dance is gonna be awesome!"

"Yeah man," Brandon whimpered, pointing to his ear. "I can tell you're ecstatic."

Michael didn't seem to notice his sarcasm and continued to exclaim "I'm so psyched for Amy to see it! Now she'll see why I've been so tired this past week!"

Brandon laughed "I'm sure she already does understand."

Michael shrugged and just as he was about to say something else, his eyes landed on Isabelle. He smiled widely. "Izzy!" He lifted her into his arms and spun her around. "So good to see you, Blondie!"

When he finally put her down, Isabelle had to hold onto his arm to steady her dizzy head. "G-good to see you too, Mike. Where did that come from?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know; I'm just so full of it right now!"

"Aren't you always?" Michael turned around and immediately calmed as a wave of black hair gracefully glided her way over to him and linked arms, smiling up at him.

"Hey, babe," He kissed the top of Amy's head. "Didn't hear you come up."

Amy smiled and averted her attention to Brandon. "Looking good, Montez. You ready for your dance?"

Brandon nodded with a friendly grin. "You don't look too shabby yourself, Hartzler. And yeah, I'm pumped." He grabbed Isabelle from behind and encircled her neck with his arms, pulling her close. She smiled and held his hand. "This is the reason I'm dancing at all." Isabelle rolled her eyes and said "You don't mean that."

"Course I do. When Mike asked me to join again, I immediately thought of you. I figured it would be nice if you saw another one of my passions."

Troy then tapped Brandon on the shoulder and sternly said "Hey, what are you still doing out here? The party's in _there_."

Brandon rolled his eyes, but smiled. "The party's wherever Izzy is." Isabelle blushed and tightened her grip around his hand.

Troy made a face. "Eww, too cheesy. Just get going."

"Fine." He leaned down and kissed his girlfriend's neck, whispering "Ready?"

She took a deep breath and turned them around, gazing up at the school with worried eyes, as if she expected Josh to jump out at her any second. She felt a squeeze around her hand. She smiled and nodded.

"Nothing's going to happen, sweetheart. I promise." Brandon reassured her, resting his cheek against hers.

Isabelle closed her eyes and leaned into him. "Nothing's going to happen." She softly repeated.

Brandon squeezed her arm. "That's my girl. Let's go." He untangled her from his hold, but didn't unglue their hands from each other as he led the way into the school, biting his lip. He and the team had their dance near perfect again after Kendra's nasty fall, but it was all on such short notice. What if someone forgot a new move? He was especially worried about Todd. He loved the boy, he swore he did, but if you were to stand him beside Chad, he would, most of the time, make curly-q look like a genius.

After Brandon signed them both in (and sneaking Isabelle in as a freshmen, who had been absent that day) they walked into the gym.

Isabelle immediately squealed "Oh my God, this is amazing!"

Brandon looked up into the room and gasped. It _was_ amazing. The dark atmosphere complimented the flashing lights that jumped around the air, highlighting certain teen's beaming faces in the room. The music that rumbled through the room immediately found Brandon's ears and surged through his veins, rushing to his limbs and begged him to dance. He smiled and twitched. They were already taking effect.

Isabelle pulled him into the room and giggled "I love this song! Let's go dance!"

A smile tugged at Brandon's lips as he recognized the song to be the beginning of "So What". "Right behind you!"

"Hey, hey! Not without us!" Gabriella shouted behind him, trying to be heard over the music. Brandon turned around and smiled. "Took you guys long enough!"

Troy rolled his eyes as he walked beside his girlfriend, their hands intertwined with hers. "Better late than never, right?"

Sharpay then appeared from behind them. "Are we gonna stand here and talk or are we gonna go make these people self conscious about themselves?!"

"I believe that's Brandon's expertise." Taylor complimented from the doorway with Chad on her arm. Brandon blushed.

Isabelle took both of Brandon's hands and pulled him onto the floor. "Well then prove it to me. Bust a move, Danger!"

Brandon smiled and warned "Let me know if you can't keep up. I go pretty fast."

"I don't think that'll be a problem."

Brandon lifted her hand to his lips and, not even letting the need to blink tear his eyes away from hers, kissed it softly before yanking her toward him a little roughly and crushing her to his body. Isabelle gasped in surprise, but almost lost all air flow to her lungs as she felt his body start to move against hers along to the beat of the song. She looked up at him and saw him grinning, his eyes making her suspicious. The excitement was the only obvious emotion that she could see, but she could also tell that there was something else hidden underneath that. Could it be...relief?

Isabelle ignored the other mystery trait and threw her arms around her boyfriend's neck, swaying her hips along with him and barely noticing their sharp movements attracting a crowd. Brandon snaked his arms around her waist and increased his speed, his grin stretching further when he saw the shock on her face. He usually did surprise people when he used this pace with them.

Isabelle's mind was in a whirl. How someone could be so perfect, she would never know. He was practically flawless. The way he smiled when something really pleased him, his beautiful voice humming random melodies when it got too quiet for him, his soft, mesmerizing eyes underneath his sleek black bangs, and his frantic conversations with himself when he got anxious. Brandon was like her Prince Charming from the dreams she had when she was just a little girl. He was delivered to her life in a desperate time of need and fought for – and over – her whenever necessary. Of course, he had his flaws that she chose to ignore, including his over-protectiveness, his little, annoying obsessions over things like Three Days Grace, casual yet formal shirts, nailing a dance routine when he still had plenty of time, and his never ending gym visits. Not to mention his temper, but she had only seen that angry side once, in the janitor's closet last year. These minor defects were part of him, made him who he was. And she loved him all the same.

The beat increased as it neared the chorus and Isabelle found herself tiring, but Brandon kept himself swinging and swaying at such a pace that Isabelle wondered if she was hallucinating it all. She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Can I borrow your date for a minute?" Michael asked her with a sly grin. "This is our part." Isabelle giggled and nodded, curious as to what the two had planned.

Brandon mirrored Mike's expression and, after kissing Isabelle on the forehead, followed him into the center of the circle that had gathered, surrounding the dance team in the middle. A triangle of the members had formed, Brandon at the point with him being the captain of the team. The short pause in between the verse and the chorus was spent freezing. Then it struck, and the teens went crazy.

The gang had joined Isabelle in dropping their jaws, including Troy and Gabriella who hadn't seen it. They were going so fast it was almost turning into a blur, their limbs flinging precisely in sync with each other and body's twisting in ways that the onlookers couldn't dream of attempting. It suddenly felt stupid keeping them in here, at a simple high school dance. These champions belonged in a music video.

The chorus eventually ended, and the dancers slowed themselves, moving to the next verse of the song slower, but not yet calm. Each and every person in the group had some sort of smile or smug grin on their faced, a relieved smile in Brandon's case. Isabelle now realized that the cause of this was that no one had forgotten a move, no matter how complicated it seemed. He met Isabelle's stare, biting his lip and winking. The blood pooled in her cheeks, but she didn't notice. She was too busy giving him two thumbs up.

The chorus started back up again and the team broke out into the same impossible-looking moves that they had just performed a few moments ago. They didn't look faltered or tired in any way, even after the workout. They all looked happy, especially Brandon, who looked extra-pleased. His smile provided yet another bright light to the room and the way his eyes sparkled, from what the gang could see, meant that he was on cloud nine and not letting anything, or anybody, bring him down. This was his happy place, his serenity. A strong, passionate way of life.

Once again, the dancers returned to a more believable speed, but this time the triangle parted slightly. Everyone in the group motioned for one of their friends to come join them in the circle, whether it be their boy/girlfriend or just their best friend. Brandon turned to face Isabelle and held up a finger, beckoning her to him. She beamed.

She felt a squeeze on her arm. Gabriella squeaked "Go, Izzy!"

Isabelle wordlessly followed her cheery orders, letting her feet lead her into the arms of her lover. Brandon grinned and placed a kiss on her cheek before taking her hands in his and letting the music overcome him again.

The dance continued without a glitch for another hour and a half before the dance coach, David Hilson, took the microphone in his hands. "Havin' a good time, Wildcats?!"

The response was an almost deafening roar from the students.

He chuckled and continued "That's what I like to hear. Now, as most of you know, our dance team has been practicing very hard, three days a week, for half of the summer to choreograph the perfect performance to open this year with a bang! I honestly didn't think that they could handle some of the moves that I had in mind, but they surprised me and stuck it out till the end! And, in ten minutes, you'll get to see that performance! So be prepared! It'll be just like sitting front row of 'America's Next Dance Crew'!"

More screams rang in the air, hands clapping and whoops of encouragement being thrown all over the place.

Brandon took Isabelle's head in his hands and kissed her forehead, telling her "That's my cue. I'll see you afterwards, okay?"

Isabelle nodded, her eyes glowing with love and admiration for him. "Break a leg. I love you."

Brandon's lips came down on hers for a lingering second. "I love you too." Isabelle's eyes stayed shut for a long second but when she opened them, he was gone.

After ten long, impatient moments, the current song cut off abruptly and the lights dimmed, blackening the platform that the team would perform on. Anxious murmurs spread throughout the room, but the gang stayed perfectly at ease, the adrenaline in their bodies pulsing through their veins. Troy grinned "Go get 'em, Danger."

The beginning of "Let It Rock" erupted from the speakers and the crowd screamed, suddenly remembering what was going on. The noise died down when the first verse began, noting the fact that the team needed to hear the song in order to dance to it. '

The lights shone on the dancers, showing that they were in the same triangle that they were in just a few moments earlier with Brandon as the tip. They had all changed into different outfits, or you could call them uniforms with them being the same on everybody. The girls wore red short shorts with white stripes on the side and red tank tops with a giant white W on the front, the words "Wildcat Dance" in small letters underneath it. The guys wore white, loose fit sweatpants with 2 red stripes racing down the sides and a matching white hoodie, with nothing more than a wife beater underneath. Isabelle nearly drooled as Brandon's perfectly sculpted body that was clearly visible through the thin material.

She didn't get to stare for long. As soon as the lyrics began, the team began to move along to the beat of the song, their moves precise and sharp with every move. As their moves became slower toward the end of the verse, Isabelle giggled at something that Brandon had told her earlier, before the dance. There were few rules when you were on the team, but Coach Hilson gave him an advantage to being the captain; he was allowed to add one more personal rule when they danced. Brandon had one, short sentence that followed: "TNT: Tight, not tense."

When the team momentarily froze, Brandon stared down from the platform at Isabelle, who was mouthing "I love you." Brandon winked and whispered back "Forever."

After four amazing minutes, the performance ended and the team fled the stage after accepting the roaring applause from the audience. Brandon was changed and back before Isabelle even had time to miss him, sneaking up behind her to wrap his arms around her and kiss her cheek, whispering "Miss me?"

The blonde shrieked and turned in his arms, throwing her arms around his neck. "Brandon, that was _beyond_ amazing! It was like watching a pro front row!"

Brandon smiled and gave her waist a squeeze. "Thanks. All a part of what I hope to become someday. A pro who owns his own dance studio." Isabelle smiled at the faraway, dreamy look in his eyes that proved that dancing is something that he planned to do until the day he died.

She snapped her fingers in front of his fingers. "Come back, sweetie."

"What?"

Isabelle giggled, continuing "So how about that date?"

Brandon gave a sly grin, looking up at the clock that hung on the wall. 8:27.

He turned back to his girlfriend and said "Three minutes until one of the best nights of your life. Can you wait?"

She pecked his nose, breathing "Nope."

Coach Hilson announced over the mic "We're runnin' low on time, but I think we can squeeze one more dance in! Who's with me?!"

The students screamed.

"Swing" blasted from the speakers and Brandon chuckled "Maybe we'll get out of here faster if you show me how your hips swing."

Isabelle blushed, but rolled her eyes anyway. "You're so horny." However, she rolled her hips and bumped them into his waist. The song continued and the blonde in front of Brandon seemed to be getting into the song with him dancing behind her, not being able to tear his eyes away from her body. When the song finally ended, Isabelle was gasping for breath, asking "Wow. T-that was awesome."

The grin on his face widened. "8:30. Let's get out of here."

* * *

**Sorry for those of you who read the Sneak Peak last chapter. This was getting too long, so I just decided to cut it in half. **

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**NEW POLL ON MY PAGE!!! PLEASE VOTE ON IT!!!**

**Sneak At Next Chapter:**

** - Brandon/Izzy date**

**- Brandon's in for a huge surprise**

_**"Brandon, can I see you for a minute?" Coach Hilson called.**_

_**Brandon excused himself from the rest of the team and walked over to him, saying "Yeah?"**_

_**Hilson grinned, acknowledging the man beside him. Brandon looked him over; he looked official, business-like but still casual. He was wearing khakis and a logo shirt. He took a closer look. Albuquerque School of Dance...**_

___**His eyes widened.**_

**_"Brandon, this is is Matt Faith. He's here to talk to you about a job opening at the school."_**

**_"Oh my God..."_**

**- Another attack strikes**

****

_**roy slammed his locker shut and walked around the corner casually, only to be bombarded with a heavy weight pushing him to the ground forcefully.**_

_**"What the-" Troy groaned, holding his throbbing head with a trembling hand.**_

_**"TROY!!! HE'S GOT HER!!!" a worried, but familiar voice shouted in Troy's ear, enhancing his headache.**_

_**"What? Who has who?" Troy asked shakily, cracking his left eye open slightly.**_

_**"Brick! He's got-"**_

**Trivia:**

- So What is by P!nk, Let It Rock is by Kevin Rudolf, and Swing is by Savage

- I was browsing through my iTunes Library looking for a name for Brandon's dance coach. Coach Hilson is named after Keri Hilson (You can look her up if you don't know who she is; she sings Energy)

- Brandon's dance "uniform" is what Zac/Troy wore during We're All In This Together

- Troy says "Okay, that's enough, love bugs." Guess where I got that from...

--

REVIEW!!! Thnx :)

~Rachel :)


	13. From the Heart

**Wow, only 5 days since an update! And it was all written in 1 day! That's a good sign :)**

**This is totally irrelevant to the chapter, but I just recently saw (or heard) Zac on Robot Chicken and I gotta say it was HILARIOUS!!! I was shocked by all the language that he used, but it was sooo awesome! I memorized half of the song and it just gets funnier every time I watch it! If you have absolutely NO idea what I'm talking about, go to YouTube and type in "Zac Efron on Robot Chicken" and you'll get a bunch of results. Trust me, it's hysterical!**

**Chapter 12 - From the Heart**

* * *

"Brandon, where are we going?" Isabelle giggled, slightly impatient, for about the fifth time in the last ten minutes.

Brandon rolled his eyes and grinned "Just twenty more minutes, babe. Be patient."

Isabelle crossed her arms and sighed, slouching in her seat. Brandon had been driving for the last hour and ten minutes and she had seen that they left Albuquerque a while ago. She hated surprises, and had a feeling that this was most certainly the most annoying one in a while.

As promised, twenty minutes later, Brandon pulled the car into a half-full parking lot and killed the engine, grinning wider after every second. Isabelle looked up at the small building in confusion. "Where are we?"

"You'll see." Brandon simply told her, he and Isabelle getting out of the car at the same time. He took her hand and walked up to the little front door, feeling the hesitation in her step.

As soon as they were inside, they were met by a heavy set woman with long, curly red hair and looked to be in her early forties. She smiled widely at Brandon and giggled "It's so good to see you! We've been expecting you, Brandon." Her mild, but visible southern accent was filled with happiness.

Brandon beamed back. "My dad called, didn't he?"

"Sure did. And I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that this is the little beauty you told me about last time you were here?" She turned to Isabelle and held out her hand, decorated with long, red fingernails. "Hey there, sweetie. I'm Paula."

Isabella shyly shook her hand, replying "Hi Paula, I'm Isabelle."

Paula continued "I've heard some wonderful things about you, Isabelle. Brandon over here doesn't shut up about you. You can just hear all the love coming from his voice if he isn't telling me about you."

"Paula!" Brandon hissed, his cheeks reddening furiously.

Paula laughed again. "Calm down, Brandon. Table or booth?"

"Doesn't matter as long as we're in a corner. Privacy, please?"

"How much privacy before I have to draw the line?"

"Paula, please."

Paula rolled her eyes, but still asked "Do you need a menu?"

"Nah, I'll just have my usual." Isabelle's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He said it like he came here at least once a week.

Paula nodded and led the two to a darkly lit corner in the back of the restaurant, farther away from any of the other people in the building. She laid down a single menu on the table and motioned for the two to sit down. "Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Root beer." They both said at the same time, blushing soon after as they smiled at each other.

Paula bit back a snicker as she turned to Isabelle again and said "Okay, so Brandon will have his usual, but do you need some time to look at the menu, honey?"

Isabelle shook her head. "I'll just have what he's having."

Paula nodded and marked the order down on her notepad. "Two pepper-jack cheese chicken sandwiches. Is that it?" Brandon and Isabelle nodded. Paula continued "Kay, then I'll have your drinks and breadsticks out in a second. Your food should be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks, Paula." Brandon dismissed her with a smile and turned back to his beautiful girlfriend. "So, what do you think?"

Isabelle laughed and shook her head in disbelief. "Brandon Montez, you drove an hour and a half just to take me to dinner?"

Brandon smiled and explained "Not just any dinner. This place is special to me. Last year when I lived with my dad for a while, we used to come here almost every night. This is where he took my mom on their first date."

Isabelle suddenly saw where he was coming from. "Aww, that's sweet. So that's how Paula knows you?"

Brandon nodded "Yeah, she's a friend of my dad's. Scared the hell out of her when she first saw me last year."

"Why?"

"A: the last time she saw me before last year was when I was in diapers and B: the way me and my dad look almost like twins scares pretty much everyone. Honestly, it's almost like looking in a mirror, only he's a bit more mature-looking."

Isabelle's eyebrows shot up. She had heard from the whole gang that Brandon and his dad were spitting images of each other, the way Gabriella was with her mom. "Wow, I'll have to meet him sometime."

Brandon nodded in agreement. "I would take you to meet him tonight, but I don't want everyone back at home thinking that we ran off to Vegas or something."

Isabelle giggled, half of it sarcastically and the other from the joke. "Ha, like I'd let you kidnap me without Brooke's approval. She'd turn you inside out."

Brandon leaned back in his cushioned seat, folding his hands behind his head. "You'll have to tell me about Brooke later. I wanna know about the girl who's been keeping you sane while we're not together."

Isabelle nodded, about to reply but was interrupted by Paula setting the drinks and breadsticks down on the table. "There you go, kids. You're food will be out in about ten minutes."

Brandon nodded and she walked off, letting Isabelle reply. She took a sip of her soda and answered "Sure. It should be interesting to see your reaction when I tell you about some of the insane situations that we've been in – well, that _I've_ been in. She pretty much forces her way in if she thinks I'm not safe."

"Ah, bodyguard."

"Yup, that's Brooke for you. So on another note, how's the food here?" She looked around shortly at the people eating with dreamy looks on their faces, showing her that the food was obviously delicious.

Brandon exhaled, closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly. "That's another reason that I brought you here. They have possibly some of the best food that I've ever had. It almost beats my mom." Isabelle saw him swallow his saliva.

"If that's even possible." She commented.

Brandon smiled "I'll be sure to tell her that."

The blonde rolled her eyes, but blushed none the less. "Thanks. Appreciate it."

Brandon sighed "Seriously, I don't know what it is about this place, but it just feels so...homey. Like I'm sitting in my kitchen, smelling my favorite food cooking, talking to the people that I love the most while my favorite song is playing in the background."

Isabelle fought back a smile while she replied "Whoa, that's elaborate. Don't forget wearing your favorite outfit." She eyed her boyfriend's green Hollister shirt and destroyed jeans.

He looked down at himself, almost forgetting what he was wearing in the first place and flushed. "Yeah, I guess I do have a weakness for these. Sorry about that."

Isabelle shook her head quickly. "I'm not complaining. They look amazing on you. And you know how I'm in love with tank tops with hoodies. Addicting, aren't they?"

"You wear it so much people can't picture you in anything else." They laughed and proceeded to tell stories about the times they've had away from each other, Isabelle happily getting a story about Brooke in the mix.

"Oh my God, she had the guts to do that for you?" Brandon's jaw dropped.

Isabelle nodded and finished off her soda. "I told you she's insane. She saw Tori trip me and make my lunch fly everywhere. She stormed over and dumped her lemonade all over her head, Tori threw her chili fries at Brooke, and that started the first food fight of the year. The girls at our table flipped the table onto its side so that we could hide from all the food being thrown and then attacked people once we found a chance. It was amazing."

"What happened after that?" Brandon immediately asked, getting totally immersed into the story.

"Tori's a teacher's pet, so she told the principle that it was me, Brooke, and our whole lunch table who started it. She completely left out the part about her tripping me."

Brandon breathed "So she was just let off the hook like that?"

"Yup."

"Bitch..."

Isabelle giggled at his reaction. "No, it wasn't that bad actually. Brooke's not one to take crap from anybody, so that night we went to her house and divided in half, me, Brooke, and two other girls on one side of the house and four more on the other side. We had eggs, they had toilet paper, and I think you can guess what happened after that."

"Wow, she's brave..." Brandon shook his head in disbelief, trying to imagine what would happen if he and Troy did something stupid like that to someone they didn't like and try to get away with it.

Isabelle continued "Oh please, she wasn't finished with her. Tori and Brooke are in the same gym class, and Tori left her locker to go talk to one of her friends. She didn't change yet and they were outside running the track, so they were all sweaty and Brooke took her clothes, stuck them in a toilet, and then peed in it."

"Oh my _God_!" Brandon exclaimed, feeling himself already start to respect Brooke though he didn't even meet her yet.

Isabelle nodded and, through howls of laughter, finished "So Tori walked around five more periods in dirty, ugly gym clothes. Her boyfriend's a jerk, so he just broke up with her that day. Brooke had something else in mind to do to her, but she isn't completely heartless so she just let it go. It was hysterical."

Once he could correctly form coherent sentences, Brandon sighed "Wow, she sounds awesome."

Isabelle nodded "She is. She's really strong too, physically and emotionally."

"How?"

"I'll tell you later. It's a long story and I don't think this is the place to tell it. It's kinda personal to her, but I don't think she'd mind if I told you. As long as you don't tell anybody else."

Brandon shook his head "I promise I won't say anything. I don't gossip that much anyway."

Just then Paula came around the corner with a tray of food, setting the plates down in front of Brandon and Isabelle. "Here we are, two orders of pepper-jack cheese chicken sandwiches. Need more soda, guys?"

Isabelle nodded "Yes, please. And can I get a water with it?"

Paula gave a friendly smile. "Of course, sweetie. I'll have those right out for ya."

When she turned the corner, Isabelle looked down at her food and grinned. The spicy cheese was oozing out the sizes of the crispy-looking chicken patty, making her salivate from the delicious scent. "This looks _so_ good." She mumbled.

Brandon gave a cocky smile. "Try it and don't say I didn't warn you."

Izzy rolled her eyes and took the sandwich in her hands, raised it to her mouth, and bit into it. Her eyes rolled back into her head before she closed them, whimpering at the taste. "Oh my God..."

"You like it?" came Paula's Texas accent, setting down the new glasses of soda.

"I swear I'm dead and on my way to heaven..." Isabelle answered after she swallowed the mouthful. She quickly took another bite and had the same reaction. "I think just met God."

"Glad you enjoy it." Brandon chuckled, starting his own food. "So is this worth the wait I made you endure?"

"Mmhm..." Isabelle moaned, taking another bite.

"I told you not all surprises are bad." Isabelle stuck her tongue out at him and grinned appreciatively.

--

"So, you want me to tell you about Brooke now?" Isabelle softly asked, snuggling closer into him and stroking his bare forearm. The two were now back in Albuquerque on the hill above the sparkling lake that was so famous to the gang. They lay on their backs, Isabelle's head resting on Brandon's chest and her legs tangled with his. Brandon cradled Isabelle's neck in his arm and was absentmindedly finger-combing through her bangs slowly, enjoying the comfortable silence that Isabelle had just broken.

"Sure. The story of why she's so strong, right?"

"Yup."

"Go ahead."

Isabelle took a deep breath and started "Brooke is...different, than most girls at our school. She's the most energetic, the bravest, and the most protective. She has this really strong outer exterior, but you'd never guess that she can be weak at times. She's really boy-crazy, but she..." her voice trailed off.

"She what?" Brandon urged, getting a little into what she was saying.

Isabelle left the sentence hanging as she tried the explanation from a different angle. "She's Australian and moved to the U.S. when she was seven years old. Her parents were apparently really nice, but they were also...homophobic."

"Were?"

"Yeah, I'm getting to that." Isabelle answered. "So she lived in Rhode Island until she was thirteen. Her parents taught her that gays were disgusting parasites that should be wiped off the face of the Earth and she, thankfully, didn't believe them. She just shied away from them whenever she came in contact with them. She knew that they were still human and that it wasn't their choice to wake up and be gay. So she believed that she was completely straight...until the end of seventh grade."

"What happened?"

"It was her science class and she was paired with this girl, Stacy, for a project that they had to work on at home. They worked on it for two weeks really hard and when they finally finished, they threw their hands up in the air and jumped around, happy that they were finally done. Then Brooke just did something that she never thought she would do."

Brandon barely had to think about what happened after that. "She kissed her, didn't she?"

Isabelle nodded gravely, sighing "Stacy pushed her off and just started screaming, backing herself into the wall and asking Brooke what she was doing. Brooke just got her stuff and ran out of the house."

"Wow..." was all Brandon could muster.

Isabelle continued "She ran home, all seven blocks, and thought about what she had just done. She had kissed a few guys before and enjoyed them, so she knew that she wasn't completely gay. Her parents didn't say anything about bisexuals being bad, so she went and told them about it."

Brandon interrupted "Let me guess: they yelled at her for it?"

Isabelle laughed once without any humor; mostly anger and hostility. "That's an understatement. They denied it at first, saying that she just got caught up in the moment and that Stacy was the one who started it. Brooke told them what happened again, but this time she added that she actually liked it. That's when it sunk into her parents' thick skulls and they told her that she was a stupid, dirty bi and..."

"What?" Brandon whispered, seeing the angry tears forming in her eyes. She blinked them back before they could fall and continued quietly "They kicked her out. She sat down there crying while they threw all of her stuff out of her room into bags and called her mom's sister, Katrina, who is also bi. Her mom said Brooke was her filthy responsibility now and told her that she would get on a plane in the morning."

"They disowned her?" Brandon exclaimed, feeling angry himself.

Isabelle nodded in disgust. "She didn't have that many friends in Rhode Island and all of them were linked to Stacy, who told them all already. Her parents wouldn't let her sleep in the house and her friend's didn't want to hang around her anymore in fear that she would try to hit on them, so she had to sleep outside, without a bed or anything. She had a hoodie, her jeans, and that's it. Her parents wouldn't give her a blanket or pillow because they thought that she didn't deserve it. She ended up crying herself to sleep in the middle of December."

"That's horrible..." Brandon whispered, not being able to digest the information about Isabelle's best friend. How did she live through it all?

"She got on the plane to San Francisco, California in the morning and met up with her Aunt Katrina later that day, crying the whole way to the house. She got her stuff situated and then she talked with Katrina about it. Kat told her that she shouldn't be ashamed to be bi and that her parents were just stupid. If they were going to kick her out just because of her sexuality, they didn't deserve to be parents. Brooke told her that she only kissed one girl by accident and didn't know for sure if she was really bi and asked Kat how she found out she wasn't completely straight. Katrina just told her that she started finding girls and guys both attractive and that she was never ashamed of it. Her sister, Brooke's mom, spread rumors about her in school, so she moved in with her grandma until she died. Katrina was 18 at the time and was kinda lucky because she was about to go to college. Her parents never spoke to her again."

"What's _wrong_ with that family?" Brandon seethed, not believing what he was hearing. If his future kids were bi or even gay, he would just congratulate them on being brave enough to tell him. He wouldn't care if they were different.

Isabelle sighed and continued "So Katrina told her to go out and experiment with girls to make sure. Brooke met another lesbian her age the next day and confirmed it. She started at my school a week later and didn't exactly fit in. I felt bad for her. She tried to keep her sexuality to herself until she got caught with her girlfriend one Friday. She walked into school and was immediately laughed at and made fun of her. These girls started beating her up until I couldn't take watching it anymore. I got in the middle of them throwing another punch at her and helped Brooke to her feet, leading her to the bathroom to clean her up. She cried and asked me if it was another joke. I told her that my dad's friend was gay and I wasn't homophobic. Just by me saying that, she trusted me enough to tell me her story and we became instant friends. My other friends met her that day at lunch and accepted her as a person and not a disgusting bi. So she eventually broke out of her shell and now, she doesn't take any sexuality crap from anybody. That's why she gets in so many fights."

Brandon was speechless. If this were him, he wouldn't be able to live through it all. Having his own family and friends turn their backs on him and then to be treated like shit just for liking girls _and_ guys. This thought just made him angrier.

"She still gets made fun of?" Brandon asked through his teeth, already knowing the answer.

Isabelle nodded "That's why she gets in so many fights at school. She was suspended three times last year. She fought with Tori five times off school grounds. The other three were with two girls and a guy."

"A guy?"

"Yeah, he was making fun of her and she just exploded on him. He was no match for her, though, so he didn't fight back. Weak little bastard. But he was the principle's son so she was suspended for a week. Katrina never grounded her for any of this though. She actually encourages Brooke to defend herself if someone's talking down on her."

"Wow, strong girl."

"I told you. Most of the fights are just verbal though. She got into two fights while she was still in middle school, too."

"Whoa, that was fast. So how does she find time to protect you?"

Isabelle giggled, moving closer into his side. "She knows the reputations of all the guys in the school and when I would tell her who I liked – before I met you, of course – she would decide if he was good enough for me. If she didn't like him, I would go out with him without a completely open mind. I only ended up in a steady relationship with one guy that Brooke didn't like. Good ol' Colby. Nice kid."

"What happened to that relationship?" Brandon asked, barely feeling any pang of jealousy for the lucky guy who went out with this goddess beside him.

Isabelle answered "He moved to Texas. I cried for about a day or two before Brooke helped me move on."

Brandon sighed contently and pulled Isabelle closer to him, if that was possible. He kissed her temple and whispered almost inaudibly "I love you."

Isabelle grinned faintly and replied "I love you more. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life, Montez." She looked down at his arm and started circling his bullet wound with her thumb.

Brandon chuckled, tilting his head to reach her lips. "That's not gonna be a problem."

As he pulled away from her, he glanced at his watch and his eyebrows rose. They'd been out that long?

"Not that I'm not in heaven here, but I think we should be getting back to the others. It's almost 12:30."

"Wow, we've been out for four hours?"

"I guess so. It doesn't even seem like it."

Isabelle giggled "Nope. How long do you think they'll stay up?"

Brandon traced his thoughts back to the last time they had a big sleepover and recalled "Until about four or five, I think. Probably later if we don't get back soon."

"Girls'll get worried?"

"And the guys. I can hear it now," he used his best Troy voice "'Dude, I hope you used protection while you were out'."

Isabelle rolled her eyes along with him and grumbled "And I can hear Sharpay now; 'My mom has some morning-after pills you can take, Izzy. We don't want anything unexpected'."

Brandon laughed and pulled himself off the ground, holding his hand out for her. "Our friends are crazy."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

--

...Monday, 9th Period...

"5, 6, 7, 8!"

The team broke out into their next routine for the winter dance that was a few months away. Live Your Life restarted from the stereo system set up near the door and Coach Hilson was walking around the circle that the dancers had formed, evaluating their performances. Brandon didn't know for sure, but he could've sworn that whenever he looked at him, he was smiling at him.

When the team came to a stop, Hilson finally called Brandon over to him.

"Brandon, can I see you for a minute?" he called.

Brandon excused himself from the rest of the team and walked over to him, saying "Yeah?"

Hilson grinned, acknowledging the man beside him. Brandon looked him over; he looked official, business-like but still casual. He was wearing khakis and a logo shirt. He took a closer look. Albuquerque School of Dance...

His eyes widened.

"Brandon, this is Matt Faith. He's here to talk to you about a job opening at the school."

"Oh my God..." Brandon whispered, totally immobilized by the owner of the dance school.

Matt walked up to Brandon and smiled "Hey Brandon. I was at the dance on Friday and saw your performance and I must say, I was impressed. No, more than impressed. I was blown away by it. How long have you been dancing?"

Brandon swallowed back his speechlessness and stuttered "S-since I was s-seven."

Matt nodded "11 years. Not bad. Listen, one of our best teachers just moved away and we've been looking around for a replacement. He was 26 and we wanted to see if we could find someone around his age, but from what I've seen on Friday, you're just as good as he is, if not better. Are you free on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday mornings?"

Brandon let his suddenly heavy head bob absentmindedly.

Matt smiled. "Okay then. Stop by the school tomorrow and we'll see about hiring you to teach the classes. Sound good?"

Brandon still couldn't speak. He just stood there like an idiot, staring at the man's face with wide eyes and a long since dropped jaw.

Hilson seemed to catch his attitude and softly slapped his forearm. Brandon shook his head free of his haze and exclaimed "Y-yeah! Sounds great! What time?"

"How about three, right after school?"

Brandon nodded fervently, beaming. "Yes! God yes! I'll be there!"

Matt held his hand out, replying "Looking forward to it, Mr. Montez."

Brandon shook his hand willingly. "Me too."

--

...Troy...

Troy sat down in his seat at 9th period, pulling out his biology notebook and turning to the homework that he already started. He looked around the room for his second best friend, but couldn't see Chad anywhere in sight. Confused, he ripped out a page from the notebook and wrote a note on it, passing it to Gabriella. When it landed on her desk, she looked up at him briefly and read it before replying and passing it back to him. Troy opened the folded paper and read:

_**Hey, have you seen Chad?**_

_Nope, why?_

He scribbled down an answer and tossed it back to his girlfriend, who replied instantly.

_**He's not here and didn't say anything about going anywhere 9**__**th**__** period. Wonder if he's with Taylor...**_

_OPTIONS - A: he got held up after class because he was being Chad or B: he IS with Taylor somewhere._

Troy turned to her and gave a quick nod. He didn't know what it was, but something just didn't feel right about Chad and that had him worried. He had to find him.

Just as he was looking for an excuse to go search, he realized that he left his biology book in his locker. He raised his hand, asking "Ms. Darbus, can I go get my biology book out of my locker?"

Darbus just gave him a sharp nod, calling "Hurry back, Mr. Bolton."

Troy quickly got out of his seat and half-ran for the door, then sprinted down the hallway, looking this way and that to see if he could find Chad. He looked in all the places that he could be until he finally gave up, having looked everywhere and not seeing Chad anywhere. He sighed dejectedly and shuffled back to his locker. After getting his book, Troy slammed his locker shut and walked around the corner, only to be bombarded with a heavy weight pushing him to the ground forcefully.

"What the-" Troy groaned, holding his throbbing head with a trembling hand.

"TROY!!! HE'S GOT HER!!!" a worried, but familiar voice shouted in Troy's ear, enhancing his headache.

"What? Who has who?" Troy asked shakily, cracking his left eye open slightly.

"Brick! He's got-"

* * *

**Just for the hell of it, if you want to imagine the restaurant, think in the area of the restaurant in the Twilight movie. And yeah, I know that the whole thing with Brooke isn't really all that important right now, but I just got to thinking about Isabelle talking about some of her friends and thought up Brooke. You'll probably see more of her later in the story :)**

**So! Brandon gets a job offer and Brick has struck again! It's actually kinda obvious as to who tackled Troy, by the way.**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**NEW POLL ON MY PAGE!!! PLEASE VOTE, CUZ I'M HAVING A HARD TIME DECIDING!!!**

**Live Your Life is by T.I. ft. Rihanna**

**Trivia:**

**- As said before, the restaurant is based off of the one in Twilight**

**- I just randomly made up the pepper-jack cheese chicken thing. If I'm at a restaurant and they have any kind of chicken sandwich, I get it :D**

**- I don't know if there's really an Alb. School of Dance or not. Again, just made it up.**

**Oh yeah, and just for the record, if you can come up with a better title for this chapter, please suggest it because I just came up with this one on the spot :S**


	14. Finally

**Good God, my fingers hurt. I had to type this chapter up on the new computer while looking at the old one (it was 18 pages long)**

**Anyways, I hope that you're all happy with this chapter. A lot of you have been telling me that there aren't enough Troyella moments and, looking back on this story, you're all right. So I hope that the end of this chapter will leave you all like "Oh snap! There you go!"**

**Oh, and make sure to read the author's note at the bottom when you're finished. I really need your help with something :)**

**Chapter 13 – Finally**

* * *

"TROY!!! HE'S GOT HER!!!" a worried, but familiar voice shouted in Troy's ear, enhancing his headache.

"What? Who has who?" Troy asked shakily, cracking his left eye open slightly.

"Brick! He's got Taylor!" Chad screamed in Troy's ear frantically, gripping his shoulders violently.

Troy blinked twice and looked up at his distressed friend. "Huh?"

Chad groaned heavily in frustration and stood up abruptly, pulling Troy up with him. "Do I have to spell this out for you?! B-R-I-C-K, H-A-S, T-A-Y-L-O-R!!!"

Troy, still rubbing the back of his head, asked "How do you know?"

Chad ripped something from his pocket and shoved it into Troy's waiting hands. Troy took the paper in his hands and immediately closed his eyes. A black envelope.

"Read it." Chad darkly whispered

Troy took a deep breath and took the red paper out of the envelope. Brick's messy handwriting read "_Wow, Danforth. I always knew you were stupid, but this is a new record. Lesson learned: Don't leave your girlfriend in an abandoned hallway unprotected. It can lead to very…dangerous things._

Chad!"

"What?!" Chad shouted, throwing his arms up into the air and panic evident in his crazed eyes.

"What does he mean 'abandoned hallway'? Did you leave her by herself?!"

Chad's teeth clenched together in a loud snap. "Long story…"

"I've got time."

Before Chad could get the chance to reply, the clicks of high-heels sounded through the almost empty hallway. Chad whispered "After school, okay? Tell everyone to meet at my house."

Troy nodded as they quietly darted around the corner before they could get caught by the straying teacher.

--

"I can't believe I didn't see this coming sooner…" Troy shook his head angrily.

Gabriella hugged his waist and lay her head down on his shoulder, tearfully sighing "I think we all feel that way, Troy. He didn't attack for so long, we dropped our guard."

"All according to plan, obviously." Jason grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

The whole gang, minus Brandon and Taylor, was seated in the Danforth living room, thinking over and deliberating what Chad had told them just a few moments earlier. Even Matt, Chad's little brother, was stationed on the floor beside Zeke. He remained silent, watching his big brother pace anxiously across the carpeted floor. Chad's hands were pinned behind his back and his mouth emitted various incoherent mumbles, his eyes focused on the moving floor beneath his feet.

"Who do you think is next?" Sharpay asked worriedly.

Chad laughed once without a trace of humor and snapped "Who the hell cares?! The important question is where he took her and what he _did_ to her!"

Sharpay pretended as though he didn't continue after that first retort. "What do you mean 'who cares'?! He could go after any of our parents, Izzy, or Kelsi for God's sake! Are you saying that's not important?!" Troy cringed at the sound of his cousin's name and Jason threw his arm over Kelsi's shoulder at hers.

Chad took an angry step towards her and nearly shouted "Of course I'm not, Sharpay, you know that! I'm not that stupid!"

"I never said you were!"

"Sure as hell sounded like it!"

Sharpay stood up from her spot on the couch and, fists curled, glared at him with tight eyes. "Look, Chad. I know you're worried about Taylor. We all are. But that doesn't mean that you can forget that she's not the only one who was taken by that freak! She's not the only one in danger here! Brick's targeting all of us, or haven't you figured that out by now? We're all in this together, so stop being so self-centered and take it down a notch, got it?!"

Gabriella shot out of Troy's arms and stepped in between the two furious teenagers and interrupted "Stop it! Just stop! The last thing we need right now is fighting! Calm down!" Chad and Sharpay, both with lingering glares, took two slow, deep breaths and eventually relaxed their tense muscles. Gabriella sighed in satisfaction and continued "Thank you. Now, you both have good points; Chad, we need to try and figure out where Brick took her, what he already did to her, and how long he's going to keep her, but Sharpay's also right. We can't single anybody out like you did. We're a team and nothing Brick does – or says – is going to change that. Okay?"

Chad, his eyes still zeroed in on Sharpay's, nodded and slowly whispered "Yeah. I get it."

His sudden hostility toward Sharpay didn't go unnoticed by Gabriella, but she chose to ignore it anyway. "Good, so what should we start with?" She absentmindedly shuffled back over to Troy and nearly shrieked as his arms wove around her waist, pulling her down and back onto his lap. She gave a relieved sigh and snuggled into his chest.

Chad, arms still crossed, turned away from the blonde in front of him and announced through gritted teeth "I say we start with wherever she is. Do you think he took her back to his place?"

Zeke shook his head. "Too obvious. That's where he took Gabby and Sharpay and he probably wouldn't do it a third time. Where else?"

Troy shrugged, drawing invisible circles on Gabriella's arm with his thumb. "The lake might be a possibility."

Ryan shook his head from his spot next to Kelsi on the floor. "Too public. Shar and I passed the lake on the way here and didn't see anything. Besides, you think someone would notice a girl getting beaten or harassed already."

Chad gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so hard they began to whiten against his dark skin. Ryan shut his mouth the second he noticed this.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and broke the tiny silence. "He probably did take her somewhere else."

Kelsi nodded. "Where, though?"

Jason replied "He was probably careful not to mention anywhere else he would take someone," He then asked Gabriella and Sharpay "Are you sure you don't remember him saying anything else about where he would take someone?"

The two girls shrugged glumly. Sharpay spoke up first. "Sorry. I was too busy getting beat senseless to notice anything being said."

Gabriella sighed "Same here. And I don't think he said anything while he was…" her voice trailed off as she remembered what happened before the beatings. She whimpered and buried her face in Troy's neck, his skin all of a sudden burning up furiously.

Ryan sighed, absentmindedly running a hand through his hair that, for once, didn't have a hat sitting on top of it. "Okay, so question one's a dud. What do you think he's done to her?"

Chad snorted, his nostrils flared. "If he so much lays a hand on her the way he did Gabriella, I'll-" His voice cut off, the anger spilling out at an alarming speed.

Troy suggested "Maybe he didn't, Chad. He seemed to stop with Gabriella, so maybe he's just…" He stopped short, figuring that they all knew what he was talking about.

"Like that's any better!" Chad howled, the glower in his eyes tightening by the second.

Matt, for the first time, spoke up abruptly. "Or, maybe he's not doing anything at all."

"Huh?" Every voice in the room asked, forgetting that he was even there.

Matt nodded "Think about it. Maybe he just has her locked up somewhere in the dark, letting her think that he's gonna do something. She's claustrophobic, right?"

Chad nodded slowly, his eyes drifting as his little brother's words started making sense.

The fourteen year old continued "He probably knows that and has her in some dark closet, making sounds every now and then to make her think that he's coming for her. Or just to startle her, I don't know."

Nine faces stared at him in disbelief. It was obvious that Matt was the smarter one with more common sense out of the two brothers and he was always the one to rationalize with one of Chad's insane plans, but here, when things really mattered, he was thinking…like Brick.

"That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard." Sharpay said quietly, blinking at the young teen. Matt just shrugged.

"Yeah," Ryan continued after her. "But it's so ridiculous, it actually sounds like Brick. It makes sense."

Matt nodded and switched his attention to Chad. "Remember that time when you and Taylor were accidentally locked in the basement closet?"

Chad shuddered at the memory that was only two months old. They had gone down to get a spare ball for the game of ping-pong that they were playing and didn't know that the door lock was twisted when they shut it, locking them in. Taylor had started hyperventilating and then began sobbing, pounding on the door screaming for someone to get them out. No matter what Chad's efforts were, he couldn't calm her down until an hour later, when Chad's parents finally came home.

Chad groaned, letting the ground disappear beneath his feet and then reappear beneath his backside. "What are we gonna do?"

Troy shrugged "There's one last question. How long do you think he's gonna keep her this time?"

This question left the bunch silent and tense, letting their eyes search around that room at everyone else's.

"Gabriella was a whole day and Sharpay was only for a few hours," Zeke pointed out, and then paused. "Maybe Taylor will be even shorter. I mean, there seems to be a pattern here."

Chad shook his head in disapproval. "You can't get a pattern like that when it only happened twice. But if you're right, he should bring her back any minute now," Then he grumbled to himself under his breath "That gives me just enough time to figure out how I'll kill him."

"Should someone keep watch?" Jason asked, already getting up off the floor excitedly.

Troy nodded "Someone should stand outside and then someone else should take a walk through the neighborhood. Maybe even going over to the area of his house. Any takers?"

Jason sprang up off the floor and grabbed his hoodie that hung off of the arm of the couch. "I'll walk. Someone want to go with me?"

Chad rushed over to him and a ghost of a grin came to his face. "Me, of course."

"Should we split up?"

"Good idea. You take a mile up until the school and then the development behind it. I'll go toward the lake and up to West High. That might be where he took her, too." Jason's eyes widened and before he could object, Chad whispered "I'll be fine."

Sharpay said "Who's going to take watch outside? He might do what he did with me and I was out there waiting for almost twenty minutes."

Ryan raised his hand. "I've got that covered."

"Me too." Kelsi also volunteered. Ryan smiled appreciatively at her. "We'll hide in the bushes just in case he sees us and runs again."

"Doubt that he will," Zeke said "He might just stay and fight or, heaven forbid, take you both, keeping Taylor."

"Good point…"

Jason, crossing his arms, huffed "Can we go now?" He didn't want to miss the opportunity to find and fight Brick if he had the chance.

Chad nodded "Yeah, we're going. Call me if you find anything." He turned to the rest of his friends. "Same with you guys. We'll be back in a few hours."

Just as he, Jason, Ryan, and Kelsi reached the door, a knock came from the other side of it. Chad opened the door and his eyebrows furrowed together. "What took you so long?"

Brandon shrugged "Sorry. Dance business." He looked over his four friends for a quick second. "You going somewhere?"

Jason nodded "Chad and I are going to look for Taylor and these two are going to watch out front."

Brandon nodded in agreement and pushed past them into the house. "Somebody want to fill me in with what I missed?"

Troy waved him over and answered "Over here, Danger. There's not really all that much to tell, though."

After Troy told Brandon the key points of what happened in the hallway and what they came up with in the last few minutes, Troy asked "So what _did_ take you so long to get here?"

Brandon grinned and rolled his eyes, explaining "Oh nothing. I was going to tell you guys, but we've got more important things to worry about."

"No, what happened?" Kelsi asked sweetly, lingering in the doorway after Chad and Jason had left. "We want to know."

Brandon took a deep breath, struggling to keep the huge smile off of his face. "You know the Albuquerque School of Dance?" Everyone nodded, so he continued proudly "Well, you're looking at the possible new future dance instructor for the senior classes!"

Gabriella shrieked and leaped into Brandon's arms, giggling "Oh my God, congratulations, Brandon! I'm so happy for you! When did this happen?"

"Middle of ninth period. I was practicing for the audition with the guys and lost track of time; that's why I didn't get Troy's text until later. Sorry about that, by the way."

Troy shrugged "It's all good. We'll get her back."

"God, I hope so…"

--

Two hours later, after Brandon had left, a sharp knock came at the door. Matt got up and answered it, his mouth dropping and gasping "Finally!"

Everybody in the living room turned their heads from the TV and watched as Matt helped carry a human body inside the house. Their eyes popped out of their sockets and worried words suddenly filled the room.

"Holy crap!"

"Is she okay?!"

"Where did you find her?!"

"Did you find him with her?!"

Chad entered the house with a heavy load in his arms. "Don't worry, she's okay. Just a little beat up and shaken."

It was true. Taylor lay in Chad's massive grip, slightly trembling and bruised from her harsh day in hell. Her face was buried in his chest and her arms were wrapped around his neck, not wanting to let go out of fear that he might let something happen to her again. Her clothes were slightly torn and ripped and she was bleeding in various places, but only small cuts and tiny gashes were visible on her dark skin.

Gabriella and Sharpay darted over to the couple and gave Taylor a good once-over. "Are there any broken bones or anything?" Sharpay asked, frantic.

Chad shook his head stiffly. "Nope, she's fine. She might be able to pull off falling down the stairs if she doesn't recover before her parents see her." He winced.

"What's wrong with your neck, Chad?" Gabriella quarried, sharing her gaze between Chad and Taylor.

"I'll explain later."

For the first time, Taylor showed her bruised face and whimpered "H-hey guys."

Gabriella stroked her hair and whispered "Hey, Tay. How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, wincing slightly from the slight pain that ripped through her shoulders. "Been better. But I've been worse."

"What did he do to you?" Zeke asked as she was placed on the couch beside him, in Chad's lap. Her arms didn't unlock from his neck.

"Well, after Chad left…"

**FLASHBACK (3 Hours)**

"_Are you sure that you have to go?" Taylor pouted, staring up at her boyfriend with distressed eyes._

_Chad leaned down and kissed her lips once more, whispering "I just have to talk to Jack for a quick second. I'll be right back, I promise."_

_Taylor sighed and rolled her eyes "Okay. I'll wait right here." She kissed him again, murmuring "I love you."_

_Chad grinned and pecked her nose. "Love you too. Be right back."_

_He gave her hand one last squeeze before smiling and taking off around the corner and disappearing from her line of sight. She took a deep breath once more and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a shiver run down her back. She could've sworn that someone was watching her from somewhere in that hallway. She knew the feeling, as Chad would secretly watch her last year before she had accepted his invitation for their first date._

_A muffled sound rang through the tense atmosphere, making Taylor jump and spin around to face nothing out of the ordinary. Just the normal row of lockers on both of the walls and the window at the end of the hallway letting the light shine through. She gasped as she looked through the window. There was one thing that wasn't normally there._

_A black Volvo sat in the parking lot. Taylor had only heard of one person having that type of car. That stolen car._

"_Oh my God…" she whispered, spinning around and preparing to run back to homeroom, but was cut off short, freezing._

_There he stood, his tall, 6 foot frame towering over her tine 5 foot 2 inch body. His eyes were just as deep and horrific as ever, and his crossed arms were so huge and intimidating that Taylor had to concentrate to not pee her pants. His lips were curved into an amused grin as he chuckled "You like the car?"_

_Taylor's throat closed automatically and cutting off her oxygen path, her body trembling violently in fear. This isn't happening, she desperately chanted inside her head, this isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening…_

_But, as a result of the shock that had coated her conscious mind, she didn't notice when Brick had walked up to her, now less than a foot away. The loud bang of something being slapped onto the face of a locker beside her was what woke her out of her foggy mind, shrieking loudly. Brick grinned wider and, in a dangerously gentle voice, told her "Such a shame that poor Chad won't be back to see this. I'm sure it'll be very entertaining."_

_Gulping back a portion of the fear, Taylor stuttered "S-see what? You beating me?"_

_Brick's mouth dropped and his hand came up to his huge chest, feigning hurt. "Taylor!" he gasped "I've only had to beat a girl once! Otherwise, I just get someone to do it for me, you know that."_

"_Just because you did it once doesn't mean you won't do it again." She could feel her confidence rising as the words poured out of her mouth like the blood pulsing through her veins._

_Brick rolled his eyes and sighed "Don't make me get physical, Taylor, I was planning to handle you the easy way."_

"_Handle me?"_

_Brick just raised an eyebrow. "Must I explain myself to you?"_

"_Tay, I'm back!"_

_Their heads snapped up in the direction toward the entrance of the hallway, Taylor breathing a sigh of relief and Brick's lips pulling up at the sides in an evil grin. His eyes slid to Taylor's, making her shudder._

"_Taylor?" Chad's voice came again, coming closer and closer._

_Brick laughed once, and then whispered "Well? Aren't you gonna answer him?"_

_Before Taylor had the chance to reply, his rough hands grabbed her by the arms and jerked her backwards, bumping her into the lockers. She screamed "CHAD!!!"_

"_Taylor?!" Chad was frantic now, his normal footsteps now racing on the tiled floor._

"_CHAD, HELP ME-" The end of her sentence was muffled by his large hand blocking her words._

"_Taylor!"_

_Chad flew around the corner just then, his eyes glazing over the empty hallway. He was about to scream her name again, but not before his eyes landed on the black envelope that was taped to his locker._

_--_

"_LET GO OF ME!!!"_

_Brick laughed again, walked up the steps to his front door. Taylor's hands were taped behind her back and a tight blindfold blackened her vision. She fearfully sat in Brick's car before she felt him grab her and throw her over his shoulder to carry her into his house._

"_Fine. Your call." With that, he shrugged her off of his shoulder and let her thump onto the carpeted floor._

"_Oh fuc-that's not what I meant!" she shouted with a want to cuss at him, but remembered the time that she had said that she had to cut back on the filthy language._

"_It's not my fault that you're not specific enough," He bent down to her level and, dropping some of the volume in his voice, said into her ear "I could've just dropped you on the hardwood floor in the kitchen."_

"_Then why didn't you? It's not like it would've been the worst you've ever done to us." She glared at him behind the cloth, thankful that it hid her worry._

_Brick chuckled "Because I'm not the one who's going to be having all the fun today."_

"_I should be delighted to find out who is." Taylor retorted sarcastically, struggling to free her wrists._

_A wide grin crossed his face. "I bet you would. Mel!"_

_Taylor's breath cut off suddenly, her eyes sheeting over into glossy tears and not seeing her captor's menacing grin in front of her. "Mel" could only be one person. One girl…_

"_No…"_

"_Sorry," Brick sarcastically shrugged "Nothing personal. Well, to _you_."_

_A small giggle came from the other end of the room, but not stealing Taylor's blinded attention away from Brick. After a few seconds, her eyes slammed shut and she swallowed loudly, preparing herself for the pain that she knew was coming._

"_This is it?" Melissa's voice asked, disappointment trickling out. "I was hoping for someone more resistant."_

"_Trust me, if she was someone who would put up a fight, I would've gotten her by now."_

"_You think I couldn't take her?" She was angry now._

"_No, I just don't want you to kill her with your massive fury." He sarcastically answered._

_A low growl escaped her throat. "I can be just as aggressive as you, Wolf. Remember that girl I beat up last week? I put her in the hospital for a concussion and two broken bones!"_

"_Correction: minor, almost unnoticeable concussion and those two broken bones were her nose and her pinkie."_

"_Like you've ever done anything worse!"_

"_Remember that guy I accidentally _killed_? Imagine what I could do if I wasn't distracted and short on time." The smugness in his voice was evident._

"_He probably killed himself. You couldn't have killed him even if you tried."_

"_He might have killed himself if I didn't do it first. He wouldn't want to have lived in the way I left him."_

_Melissa went silent for a moment. Taylor could hear the plain annoyance in her voice at her next words. "Whatever. I still beat her ass."_

"_Of course. I'm excited to see what you can do with an eighteen year old." There was the sarcasm again._

"_And I'd be delighted to show you, Mr. Smart Ass."_

_Brick stifled back a laugh._

_Melissa advanced on Taylor, who lay helplessly on the floor with her teeth nearly chattering out of nervousness and fear. Her stomach flipped and flopped in her stomach to the point where she had to bite her tongue to keep it down in its place. How hard would Melissa hit her? How long would the beatings last? Why wouldn't the questions stop haunting her, making everything worse?_

_The 13 year old was now less than a foot away from her face, slowly getting to her knees and waving her wrist in front of Taylor's nose to let her smell her heavy perfume. Taylor shuddered as she realized how close she was._

_Melissa giggled menacingly. "What? Scared of a little seventh grader?" Her voice was now pointed to Brick. "You couldn't get someone who was at least a _little_ tough?"_

_Brick's eye-rolling was clear in his voice. "Just get on with it, Mel."_

_Melissa sighed and gave Taylor's body a long, careful once-over, trying to decide what to start with and how to do it. Her eyes fell to the teen's temple and grinned. She held out her pointer finger and poked the skin, giggling again as Taylor shrieked in surprise._

"_Brick, you suck. This is going to be too easy and boring."_

"_It's better than taking that English test you weren't looking forward to, right?"_

"_I'd rather be taking that test than plucking around this piece of crap. That's all it's gonna take."_

_Taylor gulped in realization that it was true._

_Brick exhaled in impatience. "C'mon, Mel, before I'm thirty."_

_The sound of skin harshly connecting with skin sounded through Taylor's ears. "Shut up and be patient!"_

"_I have stuff to do. Do you want me to go against my morals again and do it myself?"_

"_Screw you, Brick." Melissa harshly mumbled. Footsteps quickly walked up to the teen laying on the floor before violently kicking her in the side. Taylor shrieked and flipped onto her back in painful shock._

_Melissa gave a bored sigh. "This is gonna be sooo boring. This'll be the last time I ever do you a favor."_

"_Touching."_

_Melissa didn't reply. She just circled Taylor a few times, inspecting her whole body before giving the first blow to the head._

_--_

_Twenty minutes later, Taylor found herself on the floor, bruised and bleeding like her friends before her when they were with these two monsters. Her body had gone numb about ten minutes ago and she had lost count of how many times she had screamed and begged Melissa to stop. Her hands were still tied and the blindfold was never removed from her eyes, making the beatings even more horrific, due to the lack of vision. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever been in such physical pain, not even when she was thrown twenty yards into a wall when the mall blew up._

_She heard a masculine chuckle coming from none other than Brick, who sighed "Told you I wouldn't be having all the fun."_

"_Screw you, Wolf…" Taylor gasped, trying to breathe the shortest breaths possible and give her aching lungs a break._

_Ignoring her comment, Brick said "I'm guessing that you'd like to go home now, right?"_

"_Wrong. I want to go to the hospital, smart one." She shrieked as she felt her lungs painfully extract._

_Brick laughed again. How she hated that evil, attractive sound. "Sorry. That's not my decision. It's up to whoever finds you first."_

"_What does that mean? Aren't you taking me back to the others?"_

_Brick shrugged "I was, but this was so un-fun for me, I decided to spice it up a little. Have you ever been to West High?"_

_Taylor gulped against her throat's wishes. "Why?"_

"_It's a bad day to wear that shirt."_

"_What shirt?" She had been blinded for so long she forgot what she was wearing._

"_Hint: it's red, white, and has the words 'East High Wildcats' in huge letters on the front."_

_Taylor gasped again, ignoring the evident pain in her neck. East and West High were obvious rival schools, with East High claiming victory at most of their events such as the basketball games, football games, track meets, dancing competitions, and decathlon competitions. They were all sworn off of the other's properties by an imaginary treaty and, unless you were suicidal, you would pay good mind to that agreement._

"_You wouldn't…" she whispered in horror._

"_I'm about to. Don't worry, I took a little trip while Melissa was working and two of them are out looking for you now. You won't be out there that long." He paused. "Well, unless they give up trying."_

_Taylor was on the verge of tears as she imagined the image of Chad, who she figured was one of the two looking for her, throwing in the towel. _He wouldn't_, she thought to herself, _he wouldn't because he promised…

_She felt Brick lift her into his huge arms and after shuddering, heard him whisper "Knowing him, he probably won't give up until he knows you're dead. That should be motivation enough to run all over the west side…unless he gets killed first."_

_Taylor's tears brimmed over as Brick carried her to the car and drove her to West High School, where she was thrown at the front door to wait for her boyfriend to rescue her._

_--_

"…and that's basically what happened." Taylor finished her story with a heavy breath, trying to control her betraying tears.

Gabriella was the one who spoke up first. She gawked "He left you at West?!"

Taylor nodded, grimacing at the sharp pain in her neck.

Troy gritted his teeth together as a string of profanities escaped his lips.

"Wait," Jason observed "Chad, did you get into a fight when you were on their territory? You have a huge bruise on your neck."

Chad hugged Taylor closer to him, trying not to disturb her wounds. "Almost. It took everything I had not to kick that guy's ass on the spot. He pushed me up against the wall by me neck for a second before a cop drove past and they ran off." He rolled his eyes. "Knew I should've gotten another hoodie…" He looked down at his white shirt with giant letters reading East Basketball across the front.

Sharpay, face now beet red and blood boiling, spat "This has gone way too far! We have to do something! Now!"

"Like what?" Ryan spoke for the first time "We can't get the cops involved and our parents won't help in the slightest. What does that leave?"

She remained silent.

Troy stood and paced back and forth across the room, pondering over the possible options that he knew they didn't have.

When his soft murmur was finally heard, Gabriella asked "What was that, Troy?"

"This is all my fault…" he repeated, stopping his movement.

"What?" Taylor croaked, appalled. Chad stroked her arm and whispered "Not so loud." Taylor ignored him. "Troy, you can't possibly be blaming yourself for this!"

Troy retorted "I am and I should be! If I hadn't started that whole thing with Brandon back in middle school, none of this would have happened!"

"Troy, you know damn well that you didn't start that! Wolf did! You didn't have a choice!"

"Yes I did! I agreed to it!"

"To save your best friend's life! Brandon would've been killed!"

Troy sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Look, Taylor, I-"

"Don't even say it, Troy. If you had refused to turn on Brandon, you both would've been killed, not just him. It was Samantha's fault that she couldn't take a hint. She killed herself and that should've been the end of it. Wolf couldn't take it, so he made an imaginary grudge with Brandon and dragged you down with him. You're a hero, Troy. You and Brandon weren't the only ones who would've been affected by that."

Troy's eyes fluttered shut and all of the anger fled from his body, leaving him feeling light and open-minded. He took a deep breath again as Taylor's words filled his empty brain. He sighed again. He could feel the curious stares of everyone in the room boring into his paling skin.

His eyes opened halfway. He stared at the tan carpet on Chad's floor for a few long moments before lifting his head to look at Taylor's bruised face, who was staring right back at him with a tired but self-confident expression. It was then that Troy finally spoke.

"Everyone would be better off if I had just let him kill me. Brick wouldn't be after any of us, Brandon and Izzy's relationship wouldn't have been damaged because I never would've forced her to break up with him, and Brandon never would've gotten shot. Everything would've been avoided."

Jason shook his head "That's not true, Troy. Wolf could've been lying and would've gone after Brandon after he killed you."

Chad added "Brandon and Izzy's relationship wouldn't be as strong since you were a major obstacle for them getting together. Hell, they probably would've never met if you were dead."

A sniffle could be heard behind Troy. Someone grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly as she whispered "I would kill myself if you died, Troy. Don't think that I wouldn't, because I would do it in an instant. If you never would've agreed to that fight, me and Brandon's relationship with our dad would still be horrible right now." Troy's eyes flickered to Gabriella and closed again when he saw the endless tears falling down her face. "I don't think you know how big an impact you have on this gang, Troy. If you died, none of us would've gotten together and we would probably never talk to each other again. You hold us together. You keep us from going insane." She paused to place a hand on his cheek, causing him to open his eyes again. "You keep us alive."

He could do nothing more than stare into her soaked eyes, trying to search for a sign that what she said wasn't real, but found nothing but fear and love. He reached up to hold her hand in his, keeping them on his face, and swallowed back the warning lump in his throat. Without smiling, he nearly inaudibly said "I love you."

Gabriella flashed a watery grin and kissed his forehead, murmuring "We love you too, Troy. Never forget that."

He then grinned as her lips connected with his.

--

The doorbell to the Bolton house rang. Troy got up from the couch and strolled over to the door, pulling it open to view the strikingly gorgeous face of his girlfriend. He smiled "You know you don't have to ring the doorbell, right?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes and stood up on her toes, stretching her neck to quickly peck his lips with hers. "I like to keep you guessing." She grinned as she pushed past him into the house, then sighed "What a day, huh? Who'd have thought that Brick would actually give Taylor up to East?"

Troy shrugged and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He rested his hands on her flat stomach and she laid hers on top of his, leaning into his touch and inhaling his sweet scent.

"I'm just surprised that none of us expected it before," he finally replied softly, kissing her neck. "He's not done with us yet."

"I know…" she mumbled, closing her eyes and stroking his knuckles with her fingers. "Sometimes it's just nice to believe that he is. Or he will be soon."

Troy lifted his head slightly to brush his lips across the sensitive skin beneath her earlobe, making her shiver. "It'll be okay," he whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible. "We'll get through this together, I promise."

The sudden urge to kiss him became overwhelming to the young brunette as she turned to face him in his arms, grabbing his face in her hands and molding her lips to his in an urgent kiss, shoving his body against the wall. Of course he kissed back, but this alarmed him as she never forced this kind of passion on him before. His hands gripped the suddenly annoying fabric that were her shorts and pulled her as close to him as possible, feeling her hands run up and down his muscular sides. He parted his lips for a fraction of a second to breathe, but found that he had given her the perfect advantage to shoot her tongue into his mouth, gasping a moan as his sharp teeth closed around it to hold it there firmly. His hands roamed her body hungrily, becoming more urgent and aware of the situation with every passing second.

They had placed themselves in this situation plenty of times before, always cutting the moment short before they got too carried away and did something that would lead to either regret or serious consequences. Gabriella and Brandon weren't exactly abstinent, but were always taught that it was more sensible to wait until they were married to someone that they loved. It was a tradition in their family to wait. She knew that if she and Troy went any further, both of their parents would have their input. And God only knew what Brandon would say about it…

All of these worries and concerns escaped Gabriella's conscious mind like the air from her lungs as Troy's hands fell to the backs of her thighs, pulling them up to wrap her legs around his waist. His hands then moved to grab her rear-end, supporting her and pulling her away from the wall only to turn to face the staircase. Gabriella ripped their lips apart, deeply breathing "Troy…"

Troy sighed in a defeated manner, resting his forehead against hers and breathlessly asking "I'm sorry. Do you want to stop?"

Gabriella took one more deep breath and looked up to meet his eyes, the hunger and want plainly evident in the deep, blue abyss. A glimpse of sadness twinkled in his eyes as well. This erased all the words relating to and matching the word 'yes'. She wanted him – no, she _needed_ him – too, and no stupid tradition was strong enough to change that. Who cared what their friends, parents, or even _Brandon_, thought? This was her life, her boyfriend, and her decision. A decision that was suddenly simple to make.

Gabriella crushed her lips to his with a new force, soring her mouth but not feeling any pain, only need and passion, passion and need. Nothing was going to break this moment. Absolutely nothing.

"Bedroom…" she demanded into his mouth. She felt him smile against her skin as Troy's feet continued where they left off; quickly and carefully marching up the stairs to his room with his girlfriend securely glued to his waist.

* * *

**Yay! They're a step away from sleeping with each other! Now all you have to do is decide weather or not they should or not (it's not official yet, they could always change their minds) So please review and tell me if I should have them sleep together :)**

**Also, I was reading over GFN a few days ago and found myself cringing at a lot of the stuff I put in it. So I got to thinking that once I was done with this and my future stories (WAY off into the future) I should go back and do some editing to the story. I'm honestly touched that you guys loved it so much that you gave me over a thousand reviews, but I don't like some of the beginning chapters that much anymore. Include that in your review too, please :)**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- Troy and Gabriella's decision will be revealed**

**- Brandon has his input about it**

**- A shocking break-up from someone in the gang**

"_**--? What's wrong?" Gabriella asked, sitting down next to her sobbing friend on the stairs.**_

"_**My parents are forcing me to break up with --."**_

"_**What?! Why?! He's such a good guy!"**_

"_**They don't think so. That's the problem. They think that he-"**_

**Trivia:**

**- Brick has a black Volvo, which was Edward's car in Twilight (but Edward's was silver, not black)**


	15. Empty Threat

**I'm not too happy right now. I just heard that there was a rumor going around school that I cut myself (the ground was icy outside my house and when I fell, my wrist landed in a prickly bush, so that's where the scars came from) I've been trying to find out who started it until I overheard someone saying that one of my best friends told the whole 8****th**** grade. She tried to invite me somewhere, but I just kind of glared at her and stomped away. I'm too mad to talk to her right now. So yeah. If this chapter isn't as good as the rest, that's why. I'm just a little out of it.**

**Chapter 14 – Empty Threat**

* * *

The day that followed was part of what the gang started to call routine. It was 9th period of the third week in school and on this day the students in Darbus's homeroom found themselves especially bored. There wasn't one person in the room who was even half conscious of what the crazy old lady was blabbering about. Some had a theory that it was about the importance of doing every homework assignment possible now that they were in their senior year and if they didn't, they wouldn't get the credits to pass. Some didn't even try to come up with a theory; they were trying too hard not to let their brains fry from Darbus's never ending words. She didn't see Brandon looking down watching a movie on his iPod and muffling his laughs, didn't notice Troy and Gabriella passing love notes and lustful looks to each other, and, most importantly, didn't spot Chad right in front of her, hood up, arms folded across his desk into a pillow, and snoring semi-loudly. Todd sat in his corner seat doodling random song lyrics in his notebook while thinking up new dance moves.

Troy just finished tossing the folded paper and giving a wink to his girlfriend when Darbus finished her speech with "…and so that is why you must always keep a well organized schedule of your study habits and always remember that once you start your work, you must complete it. Under no circumstances are you to give up on a problem just because you don't understand it. And, most importantly, you mustn't become distracted. If your phone rings and it's your girl/boyfriend, let it ring. Or, even better, turn your phone off. It's very easy to lose your train of thought, even if you are distracted for a few seconds. And furthermore-"

The normal, yet glorious sound of the last bell of the day sounded through the room, making half of the kids jump in surprise and the others let out long awaited breaths of relief. Brandon turned off his iPod and shoved it into his pocket, Gabriella crumpled up the paper, and Chad jolted awake, wiping the drool from the corners of his mouth and murmuring "What happened? Is it over?"

"We're getting out of this cruel prison," Brandon whispered, pulling him up out of his seat by the elbow "that's what happened."

Once the gang was out in the hallway, Troy complained "Darbus has to stop this before we all suffer permanent brain damage."

Gabriella wrapped her arms around his waist, grinning "What? You didn't have fun during our little note-passing game?"

Troy ducked his head to kiss her lips heatedly, totally ignoring the disgusted bystanders at their side.

"Hey! Think of the children!" Brandon whacked Troy's arm with a firm hand. "What's gotten into you guys? You've been like this all day."

Gabriella shrugged "We're just happy. Doesn't that deserve some celebration?"

"Your form of celebration scares me."

"Well then, that's your problem now, isn't it?" She turned back to Troy, who whispered something in her ear that made her shiver.

Brandon's eyebrows came together. "What's really going on here? Did you two get high last night or something? You didn't come home, Gabby."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and sighed "Calm down, bro. I just fell asleep over at Troy's. No need to get yourself penetrated in this." Troy cocked a grin as if he were enjoying some private joke, which did not go unnoticed by Brandon.

"Fine," he let it drop with his sister. "I'll see you in the car. I just need to ask Troy something."

"Kay." She kissed her brother's cheek and, with a sly wave Troy's way, skipped off out of sight.

Brandon turned to his best friend and snorted "Dude, she's gone. You can stop eye-groping her now."

Troy tore his eyes away from the spot that her butt had just been. "What?"

"My point exactly," Brandon crossed his arms across his chest and asked "Since I'm probably not going to get anything out of her, would you be so obliged as to tell me what the hell happened between you two?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "And the nosy, over-protective twin brother strikes again."

Brandon sarcastically laughed once and said "Seriously, man, what's going on?"

"Nothing, Brandon, everything's fine, just like she said." Troy turned and started off down the hall, trying to blend in with the other students fleeing the school.

Brandon easily kept pace with him. "Well, then, if it's so fine, you can tell me, right?"

"Just stay out of it." He was impatient now.

"Troy!"

"What?!" Troy spun around and threw his hands into the air, expressing his aggravation. "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know why you're so goo-goo-eyed and lovey-dovey with my sister."

Troy gave an annoyed sigh and spoke as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm always goo-goo-eyed and lovey-dovey with your sister, Brandon. Where have you been?"

"No, I mean you're so…sexual today. It's creepy."

"Sexual?"

"Yeah, should I be scared?"

Troy bit back the grin that he was longing to give Brandon and murmured under his breath "Terrified…"

"Huh?"

Troy sighed and, pulling Brandon to the side of the hallway, said in a low voice "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise that you'll keep your mouth shut. You can't even tell the gang, got it?"

"Depends."

"Brandon…"

Brandon rolled his eyes. "Okay, I got it. What happened?"

Troy took a deep breath, looking around to double check that no one was in earshot to hear the words that were about to leave his mouth. "Last night…Gabby and I…" He squeezed his eyes shut and continued quickly "gave ourselves up to each other."

He kept his eyes closed for a few moments, anticipating that Brandon would be utterly furious with him and waiting to kill him. Silence from his best friend was what followed. Troy thought that he was so angry that he couldn't speak. Better to keep his eyes closed.

_His anger never lasts that long…_Troy cracked one eye open, only to see something he didn't expect. Brandon stood there, frozen to the ground, arms still crossed, with a look of shock drawn into his features. His eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets while he stared at Troy with an empty, unprepared look. He blinked once, followed by multiple blinks, still in shock. Troy raised an eyebrow. "Dude?"

Brandon suddenly broke free of his silent trance and collapsed against the lockers, barking out fits of laughter and slowly sliding onto the floor. He gripped his stomach as it twisted into painful knots of amusement that only got tighter with every loud laugh. The rims of his eyes moistened with tears as he blinked them away quickly.

"Brandon!" Troy exclaimed, confused as to where his best friend found humor in the situation.

"Ha!" Brandon continued cracking up. "Ha, ha, HA!!!"

"Hello?!" Troy nudged Brandon's knee with his foot as if he were afraid to get close to him.

After a few more seconds, Brandon inhaled a deep, shaky breath to help stabilize himself and rid of the knot in his stomach. "I…I think I'm okay now. Sorry about that."

"Would you care to explain what the hell that was?" Troy sharply scolded him. "I don't think it's very funny."

Brandon shook his head, a look of feigned, sarcastic seriousness crossing his face. "Oh, of course not. I don't think _that's_ funny at all."

"Well what is? I just told you that I had sex with your sister and you're laughing about it. Please explain."

The humor returned to his face. "I just think it's kind of hysterical that you had such a hard time telling me. Did you really think that I'd freak out?"

"You did, Mr. Hyena."

Brandon replied "I meant did you think I'd call the cops on you or something? If Izzy and I decided to do it, would you get mad?"

"Probably not."

"Exactly. Dude," Brandon started off down the hallway again with Troy at his side. "You two love each other. I can see that. And you're both eighteen, which makes it even more sensible. I'm not as big a control freak as I was last year, or haven't you noticed? I'm gonna let you two live your lives and your relationship as you want. I'm done telling people how to live their lives. Understand?"

Troy grinned. "Yeah. Thanks, man."

Brandon nodded and patted Troy on the back. "Anytime. Oh yeah, there's another reason as to why I was laughing."

"What's that?"

A sly smile curved Brandon's lips. "Nothing much. It's just that if you don't want me to play interrogator, you have to tell my parents." A frozen look took over Troy's face and his heart came to a stop, slowing his blood and giving him a lightheaded feeling. Brandon chuckled once and said "See you out at the car."

As he walked away, only one thought ran through Troy's mind. _"Oh shit, I'm screwed…"_

--

"I don't wanna!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time in just that moment. She was never going to get anywhere with him.

"Troy, don't make me come in there after you."

His voice turned seductive then. "That a threat or a promise?"

"Troy!!!"

Troy groaned from inside the car. "Do I have to?"

Gabriella walked over to the car door opening and tugged at her boyfriend's elbow. "You won't be alone, sweetie. And even if you were, it wouldn't be that bad. I doubt that she'll make a big deal out of it."

"Or she could and never allow me to see you again." Troy retorted, lagging behind his girlfriend and gently tugging himself back to the car.

Another roll of the eyes. "She knows that would kill me. Remember what I said yesterday when you said the whole thing with Wolf was your fault?"

"She'd get over it. She got over Chase, didn't she?"

Gabriella's face hardened a bit at that. "Not completely. She never took down their wedding picture from the main hall, now did she? She still wears her wedding ring on special occasions when she has other ones that match the outfit much better."

"Oh. Well, I still think that she'd scare me so much she'd force my family to move until I go to college."

"If anything like that happens, I'll start cutting myself."

"No you won't!" Gabriella and Troy spun around to face Brandon getting out of the car and slamming the door behind him. "You won't because I won't allow you to."

"Brandon-"

"Gabriella." She internally winced as he hardly ever used her full name unless he was being completely serious. "You will not ever do something that stupid and dangerous to yourself, do you hear me? If something ever happens to Troy, you'll have me and our friends to lean on."

Gabriella crossed her arms and retorted "So you're telling me that if Isabelle ever disappeared from your life, you wouldn't find some way to hurt yourself?"

Brandon raised his right hand and spoke "I swear on my life that I will not ever, under any circumstances, cut myself or somehow commit any form of self-harm. You have all rights to stop talking to me if I ever break that promise."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "Promise?"

"I swear. Besides," He grinned cockily. "There's no way Izzy's ever going to walk out on me. We were even talking about getting promise rings for each other last night."

"Wow. That's a big step, you know. If things don't work out-"

Brandon held up a hand to silence her. "Gabs, trust me. Minus the distance issue, things between us couldn't be better. You'll be seeing us together for a very, very long time.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, but smiled at her brother's kind words. "I'm keeping your word on that, bro. Now come on," she flicked her eyes to her boyfriend mischievously. "We have some news to spill."

Troy gulped as he watched his girlfriend's hips sway off into the house.

He took a deep breath and was about to follow her when he found himself spinning around to face his best friend. "Dude, did you mean that?"

"Mean what?"

"That thing you said about the self-harm. Do you seriously promise to never do it?"

Brandon gave him a disbelieving look, arms crossed and fists balled. "Troy, I swear to God I will never hurt myself because of something like that. Why do you ask?"

Troy shrugged, an unsure look crossing his face. "I don't know, just a precaution I guess. You know you're…sensitive."

Brandon rolled his eyes and assured him "I'm fine, I swear. I've been through so much in such a little time, I'm sure I can handle most anything. Besides, Gabriella's the one who brought up doing it to herself if something ever happened to you. How did all of this get turned on me?"

"You made that promise."

"Oh yeah…" He sighed. "Anyway, get in there. Your woman's waiting for you."

"Don't remind me…"

When the three were finally inside the house, Troy slowly shuffled up to Gabriella, his knees wobbling slightly and his gut screaming for him to run back out the door and make a break for it to anywhere parental supervision didn't exist. He told himself to keep dreaming.

Gabriella, on the other hand, was keeping her balance and seemed to be perfectly at ease, standing with one hand on her hip and the other supportively holding Troy's. She had that glint in her eyes that showed up when she was one-hundred percent sure of herself and positive that she was going to win an argument. She didn't speak one word, but the feeling of her saying "I got this in the bag" was rolling off of her in constant waves.

Brandon, on the other hand, was killing himself trying not to laugh and just simply walked over to the corner of the kitchen, sitting on the wooden stool and sat on his hands, as he did whenever he was concentrating on not doing something. He pressed his lips so tightly together that they could've been vacuum-sealed. He watched the odd couple eagerly, waiting for someone to say something.

Gina looked up from the mounds and piles of paperwork on the island in the middle of the room and arched an eyebrow. She wore glasses in front of those curious eyes, signaling that she was incredibly busy. She never wore her glasses unless she was sitting down and doing some kind of paperwork for an extensive amount of time. She turned her head to Troy, whose knee-shaking had spread to his whole body fearfully.

"You okay, hun?" she concerned to him.

Troy's breath caught in his throat for a moment, his eyes widening in shock, before answering nervously "Y-yeah! Peachy."

Gina's eyebrows now came together in deep suspicion at his reaction to her casual words. "What's going on here?" Her eyes never left Troy's, much to his distaste.

He reached up to the back of his neck absentmindedly and began massaging it, a nervous reaction that had developed over the last couple of months. He began his attempt at speaking with "Uhh…w-well…Gabby and I…umm…w-we…" he took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut and finished at an inaudible speed "lastnightwehadsex!"

"What?"

Troy's eyes opened now, the clear and slightly humorous panic evident in them. "What?!" he replied breathlessly. Gabriella bit back a giggle and Brandon suppressed a howl of laughter.

Gina gave up on her technical-son and turned to her daughter in hope of an answer. "What's he trying to say, sweetie?"

Gabriella gladly answered for him. "Something that really isn't all that hard to say. I don't know why he's freaking out but…" she looked at his chest heaving oxygen to and from his lungs. "I think I better do it for him before he has a stroke."

Gina nodded in approval. "Oka-wait, you're not getting married, are you?"

"GOD NO!!!" Troy exploded suddenly. Every face in the room spun around to stare at him, Gabriella in annoyance, Gina in surprise, and Brandon in surprise and humor. He bit down hard on his lip. Troy then stuttered "I-I mean, go on." He ducked his head, embarrassed.

Gabriella resumed before he had the chance to combust again. "Mom, remember last month when you gave me and Brandon that sex talk and you said that despite the tradition, you trust us to make good decisions with whoever we want to give ourselves up to? You approve of our lovers." She missed Brandon's grimace at the uncomfortable memory.

Gina was getting impatient now. "Where are you going with this, Gabs?"

"Oh sweet Jesus, please don't make us say it…" Troy squeaked. Everyone ignored him this time.

Gabriella took a confident breath and stated clearly "Mom, last night Troy and I had sex and don't regret a single second of it." She took a peek over at Troy's paling face. "Well, at least I don't." She added.

Things got very quiet after that. Gina just sat there, blinking at the couple through her glasses and switching her eyes back and forth between each person. Brandon was desperately rocking on the stool while trying to hold in his insane laughter, and Gabriella stood with confidence, blinking right back at her mother innocently. Troy was now completely frozen with fear, his face drenched in sweat and very, very sickly looking. The light tension wasn't sitting too well with his stomach.

Gina spoke up first, breaking the silence. "Gabby, I don't think he's breathing."

Gabriella waved it off. "Oh, he'll be fine as soon as you say something."

Gina took a deep breath, her face remaining expressionless. "Well, what do you want me to say?"

Brandon mumbled from his corner "How about the normal things that a parent would say?"

"Brandon…" the females warned, Troy too stunned to even notice.

Gina returned her attention back to her daughter. "Where were you at the time?"

"Troy's room." Gabriella answered immediately, completely content with the questioning. Troy just squeaked like a mouse.

"Were his parents home?"

"They didn't come home until an hour later."

"How long did it last?"

"All night."

"Did you enjoy it?"

Gabriella grinned. "From the second I walked into his house to when I left this morning." Brandon rolled his eyes in disgust.

Gina didn't move a muscle in her face except her mouth to speak "Really?"

"I don't lie when it comes to him." The teen said honestly.

Troy gulped "I think I'm gonna puke…" Gabriella elbowed him in his side, but he was too gone to feel it.

The room was still again with everyone basically in the same position, Brandon holding his breath and waiting for them to get hammered with punishment, Gina's face blank of anything that could something that she was thinking away, and Troy was trembling from head to toe, his face white as a sheet and his lips becoming tinted with blue. Only Gabriella looked a bit different, the only change being that she looked a little more sure of herself.

Gina finally said "Well, in that case, I don't think there's anything left to say but…" her eyes flickered to Troy, whose lungs gave up on his anxiety. Gina flashed a smile. "Congratulations."

Gabriella shrieks and stepped over to her mother to give her a hug while Troy just let out a huge, shaky breath and slumped his shoulders. Brandon sat there, his eyes wide and disbelieving, disappointed and shocked that they didn't get in at least a little bit of trouble for breaking the tradition. Gabriella walked back over to Troy, taking his numbed hand again.

He spoke for the first time in a minutes, his voice low and trembling. "Gabby?"

"Yeah, sweetie?" She rubbed circles in his back, looking up at him with concern. "Are you okay now?"

Troy nodded, his head heavy. "I think. But have you ever been so relieved that it brings back your lunch?" His stomach heaved and his eyes snapped to the bathroom door.

Gabriella shook her head. "No. Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

Troy bobbed his head fervently, his hand already coming up to cover his mouth. "Oh yeah." With that, he ran off to the bathroom door with Gabriella following after him.

Once they were gone, Brandon stood up from his seat and scoffed "Oh come _on_!" Gina looked back up from her paperwork. "Amy and I get in trouble for PDA last year and they get supported for having sex?!"

Gina rolled her eyes and replied "Oh, leave those two alone, Brandon. They've been through a lot and I think that they're ready to make that special connection." Brandon's face contorted into disgust at the irony of her words as she continued. "Besides, that thing with Amy happened more than once and that was Amy's father who scolded you. He never did like you very much, did he?"

"Neither did her mom…" he grumbled.

Gina nodded in understanding. "Oh. Well, I think they were right."

"What?!"

His mother sighed "Brandon, her little eight year old brother was watching you two shove each other's tongues down your throats. Don't you think that's just a little inappropriate?"

"The kid didn't have to watch!" he countered.

"You two could have saved it for some other time." Gina shot right back at him calmly.

Brandon threw his arms up in the air, exasperated. "We were on a _date_! I clearly think that's an occasion that it's suitable for."

Gina gave an impatient breath as well, pulling another packet of paperwork off of the stack in front of her. "You know what? I'm way too busy with all of this paperwork to argue with you about this right now. Don't you have a job interview to get ready for?"

He huffed "I like to call it a mixture of an interview and an audition. They'll only ask a few questions." He was still angry, but a smile pulled at his lips to show how excited he was to finally express his love for dancing.

"Well, either way, I'm happy for you, sweetie. Now shoo! I need to concentrate." She waved him off with a hand and ended the conversation by looking back down at the papers.

Brandon looked at the clock on the wall and gasped. 2:45 already? He only had fifteen minutes to get to the school for his interview. He rushed over to his mother, pecked her cheek and after speeding up the stairs to get his gym bag full of his dancing essentials, ran back down the stairs to get his car keys. Before leaving, though, his eyes caught wind of Troy and Gabriella coming out of the bathroom, Troy looking a bit better after releasing his nervousness and Gabriella looking proud of him for putting up with all of it. Troy looked up at Brandon and grinned evilly, winking at him and mouthing "You lose." Brandon narrowed his eyes and muttered "Lucky bastard…" before running out of the door and hopping in his car, speeding down the street to the dance school.

Troy and Gabriella walked back into the kitchen, hand in hand, and he asked "Gina?"

Slightly impatient, Gina looked up and said "Yeah?"

Troy gave a half smile and continued "Not that I'm not grateful that you approve of us doing what we did, but I have to ask…why aren't you mad?"

Gina giggled, removing her glasses from her face and rested her head in her hands. "The same reasons that I told Brandon. You two are both 18, meaning that I think you're responsible enough to make the right decisions as adults. Gabriella, you are my daughter and I especially trust you not to get yourself hurt or in trouble. You have a very clean record and just for that, I approve that you made the right choice. Troy, you're pretty much the second son that I never had. Your parents and I feel like we shared the job raising you over the course of your life since you were two. And from what I see in you, we've done a great job. You're basically adults, but I can still see that sparkle of innocence in your eyes that I saw when I first met you. You're really good kids, guys. And I'm sure that Chase will say the same thing when you tell him."

Troy gulped again, feeling his stomach churn once more at the thought of telling Gabriella's father. He didn't know Troy as well as Gina did.

Gabriella rubbed his arm lovingly "Don't worry, Troy. My dad will probably be a little disappointed that we didn't wait, but I'm positive that he'll understand. We're fine."

"Sure…"

Gina suddenly sprang up from her chair and rushed over to the medicine cabinet, exclaiming "Oh! I almost forgot!"

She pulled out two boxes from the cabinet and sped back over to the happy couple, handing them each one box out of her hand. "Here. It happened once and I'm sure that it'll happen again. This time you'll be completely ready."

They both looked down into their hands and Gabriella giggled while Troy groaned. "Mom, this isn't really necessary. It was probably just a one-time thing until we get married."

Gina shrugged "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Gabby. Once you get a taste of sex you'll only want more later."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and looked back down at the birth control in her hand and then took a peek over at the condoms in Troy's. He was just standing there shaking his head with a twisted expression upon his face. He shoved the Trojan pack in the pocket of his shorts and stammered "Uhh…thanks?"

"No problem, son." Gina grinned.

Troy cleared his throat and, speaking to Gabriella, said "So…I think we're done here. I think I need some fresh air, so why don't we head on over to the hill?"

Gabriella pecked his cheek once. "Sounds great." Troy made a quick break over to the front door while Gabriella called over her shoulder after him "Bye mom!"

She turned her had back around and almost collapsed to the floor as her body collided with Troy's back. He stood frozen at the door's entrance and stared at the floor of the porch, a solemn look carved into his features.

"Babe? What's wro-" She was quickly shushed by Troy, whose eyes never left the floor. "Look."

Gabriella followed his orders and peeked over his shoulder to look at the wooden ground beneath their feet. She gasped.

"Oh my God…"

--

That night, the whole gang was gathered together in the Bolton living room, totally silent. Sharpay, Zeke, and Ryan sat in the sofa opposite of them, Jason and Kelsi sat on the floor in front of them, and Chad and Taylor sharing the second sofa. Taylor had made sure to keep her distance from Chad, which he silently worried about. Troy and Gabriella sat in the loveseat, the reason for the get-together clasped tightly in Troy's hands.

"Again?" Sharpay spoke up, hanging tightly onto Zeke and Ryan's arms with a worried look.

"Yup." Troy simply murmured.

"But we just got Taylor back." Chad looked over at his girlfriend with a weak grin, which faltered when she cringed away from his hand when he went to touch her arm. She crossed her arms and stared at the wall, tears gathering in her eyes.

Troy sighed "We haven't even opened it yet, so we don't know if he's going to take someone first or attack. It could just be another harmless note, just to scare us."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that one, Troy." Brandon warned. He had just come back from his audition at the school, but was fully focused on the note. He would find out if he got the job tomorrow after school. Deep in the back of his mind, he had his fingers crossed.

Jason shrugged "We won't find out if you never open it, Troy. Go ahead." Kelsi scooted a little closer to him. Taylor moved a little further to the wall when she saw Chad gaze at her again.

Troy took a deep breath and ripped the black envelope's flap off, pulling the red paper from the inside. He opened it slowly, the tension in the room rising. He looked up to the ceiling, though, instead of reading it.

"Troy?" Gabriella concerned, laying a hand on his arm.

Troy handed her the note, whispering "I can't do it."

Gabriella nodded in understanding, taking the note from his hands. She took a deep breath just like him and read:

"_I wish I could be there to see your face when I laid this note on your porch, Gabriella. Must have been hysterical how you got all worked up over nothing. No, I'm not taking anyone or blowing up any buildings. Confused? Let me explain._

_Wow, has this been fun. I got to reunite with some of my family and do things that were totally new to me. That was the first time that I ever had to use a grenade, which was AWESOME! Anyway, I'll just go ahead and say it. I'm done messing with you guys. And it's not you, it's me. Like I said before, I loved every second of the time I got to play with you, but I guess I'm just running out of motivation. I'm moving onto bigger and better things now. I hope you'll understand what I'm trying to say. I hope we can remain friends. You can all take the giant deep breath that you've been waiting for since you got the first note now. I'm through here. I've left my mark and I think I've avenged all that I needed to._

_Oh yeah, and congratulations to Troy and Gabriella for fucking each other. Hope things work out for you two ;)_

The room froze. Not even a breath was heard throughout the tense atmosphere. They all just sat there, their eyes glued to the note in Gabriella's trembling hands and their minds all blank. Confusion radiated off of every body as the sense of relief hadn't set in yet.

"He's giving up?" Brandon spoke flatly.

"Let me see it." Troy snatched the paper from her hands and held it up to view Brick's handwriting sprawled across the paper. He couldn't believe it. "Son of a bitch…"

Zeke said "Are you sure this isn't a joke? He could just be messing with our heads again."

Troy looked up from the paper and answered "No. I think he's serious."

"How can you be so sure?" Chad's eyes slid to Taylor again. She shuffled a little closer to the wall, staring off into space with a cold, but fearful, glint in her eyes.

"Chad, think about it." Troy stood up. "He's running out of people to chase after and I don't think he really wants to go all the way to California to get Isabelle." Brandon cringed at the thought of it. "Face it. He's getting bored with us."

"I don't believe it." Gabriella stated with a light grin, pulling Troy back down onto the couch.

Jason stopped them. "Wait a minute, he didn't get Kelsi yet. How do we know that he won't change his mind?" Kelsi bombed into her boyfriend's arms at his words.

Chad shrugged "Maybe he thinks that we'll react the same way with everyone that he takes. We get pissed and scared, but we just wait until he brings them back."

"True."

The room was quiet after that for a few short moments, everyone staring at the note with curiosity and hope in their eyes. Taylor was the only one who didn't look like she had even the slightest bit of interest in the letter.

"Soo…" Sharpay said "What do we do now?"

Zeke shrugged "Party?"

That caused a few laughs, even from Chad, who scooted over to Taylor and draped his arm over her shoulders, saying "Isn't this great, Tay? He's not coming after us anymore. We're okay."

No one was prepared for what happened next. Taylor threw Chad's arm off of her and stood up, the tears finally brimming over her eyes. She shouted "No, Chad, it's not okay and it never will be okay! How can you even say that, you stupid son of a bitch?!"

Shock took over the teenage man, freezing his body into immobilization. He stared up at his girlfriend with wide eyes which seemed to say "Did that just happen?"

He reached out and touched her arm, trying "Taylor-"

Taylor cut him off before he had the chance to say anything, violently pushing his hand off of her arm. "Don't touch me! And you know what?! I'm sick of this! You think you're so perfect, huh? You think that we're perfect and nothing can ever happen to this relationship? Well newsflash, curly que! It's not perfect! It's far from perfect, actually! It's gone to hell and it's all your fault!"

Chad stood up to face her head on with careful eyes. "Taylor, what are you talking about? What's wrong with us? Did something happen?"

Taylor held up both hands and slowly backed away from him, her voice shaking with rage and fear. "Stay away from me, Chad. Don't ever touch me again. I'm done."

"But-"

"I hate you, Danforth." With that she turned and ran out of the room, throwing the front door open and speeding out of the house.

Silence wasn't a stranger to the group as Chad was frozen in his place on the floor, staring at the space that Taylor had just been. Never before had he been so confused, so hurt. It was like someone had just stabbed him in the back while shooting him in the heart repeatedly.

Gabriella cleared her throat and stammered "Uhh…I-I'll go talk to her." She didn't have to wait to realize that she wasn't going to get an answer from Chad. She got up from her spot next to Troy and quickly walked after her best friend.

When she got outside, Gabriella found Taylor sitting on the top step of the porch, her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on them. Her jeans were stained with teardrops as well as her cheeks. Her choked, muffled sobs could only be heard as Gabriella advanced on her.

"Taylor? What's wrong?" Gabriella asked, sitting down next to her sobbing friend on the stairs.

It took her a moment to sniff back the tears and take the deep breath to answer "M-my parents are forcing me to break up with C-Chad."

Gabriella's mouth dropped to the ground. "What?! Why?! He's such a good guy!" She was appalled. Sure, she knew that the McKessie's didn't exactly approve completely of the care-free Chad being with their smart, organized daughter but never did she think that they hated him that much.

Taylor shook her head, wiping away more tears with the back of her hand. "T-they don't think so. That's the problem. They think that he…" Her voice cut off then, not being able to go on.

"They think that he what?" Gabriella soothingly rubbed her back patiently.

"They…th…"

She finally sighed "Taylor, spit it out."

Taylor turned to her friend and exclaimed "They think that he beat me! They think that he gave me these bruises!" Her head collapsed into her knees again, her sobs now louder and more depressed than ever.

Gabriella found it hard to take in this devastating news, her face freezing her features into a serious, yet confused look. "What do you mean they think he beat you? Did you explain what really happened?"

Taylor nodded, wiping away more tears. "I tried, but they wouldn't believe me. They always looked for an excuse to get me to leave him, and now they have their chance and they won't let it go for anything. They said that I have to do it tonight or they'll call the police on him."

"But they don't have any proof!" Gabriella exploded. Chad was her friend too, and it would hurt her as well if something happened to him. "They can't prove anything, can they?"

"Brick's hand is almost the same size as Chad's and they saw his hand print on my arm. I'm stuck, Gabby. I don't know what to do! I can't leave him!"

She bombed into her best friend's arms, blubbering like a baby on her shoulder. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Taylor and rocked her back and forth, shushing her and trying to calm her down a little. This moment reminded her of her and Troy's moment last year, when she asked him if he could cry on him. Emotional, depressing, and very, very serious.

"Taylor, you need to tell him."

"What?" Taylor snapped back from Gabriella's body. "Gabriella, did you not hear the words that just came out of my mouth?! I can't leave him-"

Gabriella shook her head and cut her off "No, I mean you have to tell him about your parents. Maybe he can talk to them and show them how much he loves you, or-"

"He can't." Taylor wiped away more tears. "He's banned from my property other than tonight. He's driving me home and my parents are going to watch me do it. From then on out he can't come near me." She buried her face in her knees again and resumed sobbing.

Gabriella gently pulled Taylor's face up to meet her eyes. "You didn't let me finish." She softly said. "If you can't do that, then maybe you can just have a secret relationship, like me and Troy did last year in the beginning."

Taylor pointed out "Didn't Brandon find out that night?"

Gabriella shook her head and answered "Not technically. It was confirmed that Monday when he saw us holding hands." She sighed, thinking back to the moment when Troy's lips finally left hers and he walked off in the other direction, leaving her behind to meet eyes with her depressed brother who just couldn't take it. It was way too much way too fast. He disappeared as soon as she blinked.

She was so far gone in the memories of the previous year that she didn't notice the absence of Taylor. The only thing that woke her out of her retention was the click of Taylor's heels heading for the front door. She was already halfway in the doorway when Gabriella turned, startled, and asked "Where are you going?"

Taylor's tears had stopped, already have drained from her body and leaving her throat throbbing and her head fuzzy with dehydration and confusion. She paused, but didn't turn around. She sniffed once before whispering "I'm going make the biggest mistake of my life."

"No, Taylor!" She was too late. Taylor had already slammed the door behind her.

She walked into the house slowly, her head low with embarrassment as all eyes fell on her. She could feel them boring into her skin curiously, wondering if she had recovered from her sudden outburst. She looked up and took a deep breath. Chad had sat back down and previously had his head in his hands, but the sound of Taylor entering the house made him stand up abruptly, waiting for the worst that he expected to come.

Taylor spoke first, in control but low. "Can you take me home?"

* * *

**Review please :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**Helpful Hint: There's a small, small conversation in this chapter that you'll need to remember for what happens in the future. You probably read it and said to yourself "How is that relevant to this situation at all?" But trust me, later you'll look back on this chapter and say "Ohh, now I see it..."**

**And can someone give me tips on where to start the next chapter? There's a lot happening and I need to find a starting point.**


	16. Hollow

**Another long update span. Gah, I don't know why I'm so lazy with updates. I promise I'll try to get better at it, which it probably will when the major drama that I have planned begins ;)**

**In the meantime, try to enjoy the mediocre chapter. Trust me, I'm not at my best in this one...**

**Chapter 15 - Hollow**

* * *

Monday was bleak. Bleak and tense, no matter how happy everyone pretended to be. Everyone except for the obvious culprits, who didn't look anybody in the eye all week in fear of the huge story that consumed them would burst and tell everyone everything. Chad and Taylor just drifted through the halls with the tight gang like loose trash, not making an effort to strike up a conversation or even acknowledge their presence. This placed the friends in slight shock, for Gabriella and Taylor were the only ones who knew the real meaning behind all this. Everyone else thought that it was just another fight between the two lovers. Even Brandon kept his mouth shut about his exciting news regarding the confirmation call he had received that day at lunch. When he returned back to the table after the call and Troy asked him who it was, Brandon just quickly shrugged it off and said that it was no big deal, don't worry about it.

It was the period after lunch that Troy was finally fed up with Chad's behavior. He quickly partnered up with the zombie for their in-class biology assignment and started his questioning.

"You've been quiet all week man, is everything okay?" he whispered as the teacher started explaining the project.

Chad just lazily shrugged, not taking his empty eyes away from the front of the room. "Just tired, I guess…"

Troy just nodded slowly, biting his lip in curiosity. "You talk to Taylor lately?"

Chad winced and stiffened upon hearing her name, his eyes completely detached from the rest of the world now.

"I'll take that as a no," Troy said, staring at his friend's locked jaw and clenched fists. Chad didn't say a word.

When the instructions were finished being given, Chad grabbed the worksheet and stomped on to the back of the room to a lab table, not waiting for Troy who had to jog to catch up to him. "Hey, sorry about that."

"About what?" Chad growled, hiding behind his curtain of limp hair. He just didn't seem to care about the way he looked anymore, even shaving off his facial hair. He was wearing his oldest pair of sneakers, grey sweatpants which he absolutely hated more than Darbus, and his chunky red Wildcats sweatshirt from two years ago which was now stained with food and had holes in several places. All in all, he looked like a hot mess.

"You know," Troy answered "About what happened. Who'd have thought, huh?"

"You don't even know what happened, Troy, so stop going all Dr. Phil on me, okay? If you want to know what happened, just ask and if I feel like telling you, I will." Chad looked back down at the paper in front of him and continued filling in the answers that he knew were right. Ever since that night last week, the whole gang had noticed that he was paying a little more attention in class instead of sleeping or texting someone.

Troy sighed and took the assignment away from Chad so that there was no way he could become distracted. "Fine," he started "What happened between you and Taylor?"

Chad's jaw locked again, proving that whatever did happen had affected him more than any other fight that the couple have had. Usually he would just roll his eyes and spill everything to his best friend without any questions being asked but now, Chad seemed on the verge of a breakdown. Not to mention that this was indeed their longest fight in the history of their relationship.

He took a very long, unstable breath and, without looking at Troy, began "Never in my 18 years on this Earth have I ever been so confused. Not even when you told me about what Wolf was doing to you. That's obvious compared to what Taylor said to me." He stopped as his voice cracked, lowering his head a little in embarrassment. Troy lightly touched his shoulder and said "Chad, what did she tell you?"

Chad kept his breathing even, closing his eyes to concentrate on the least painful details of the memory. He took one more deep breath before beginning "You know she blew up and then the rest happened right after I dropped her off. I stopped the car, but she didn't get out, so I started talking…"

**FLASHBACK**

_Chad killed the engine as he pulled up in front of Taylor's almost invisible house, expecting her to tear the door open and run out of the car before it even stopped. He didn't know what to feel about this, so he decided to do what he always did in tense times. Talk out his feelings._

"_Taylor-"_

"_Don't." Taylor held up a hand, still not looking up at her hurt boyfriend. He could hear the raging conflict in her shaky voice._

_Chad sighed "Taylor, I'm sorry."_

_She crossed her arms and looked out the window. "For what?"_

_Chad shrugged, not taking his eyes off of her. "I don't know, whatever I did to make you act like this."_

_In the window's reflection, he could see her lips quiver and her eyes look up to the sky, her mouth asking "Why?" She finally took a deep breath and shrieked "Why does everything have to be about you? What if this is about me, not…" Her voice broke as she recognized the phrase that was leaving her lips. "…you?"_

_Chad's breath stuck in his throat, choking him along with the lump that had aroused there. "I've heard that line before." _

"_Then you should know what it's meaning is."_

"_Taylor, no." Chad reached over and grabbed her arms in his hands, despite her physical restraint. "Talk to me!"_

"_Chad, let go of me!" Taylor wailed, fighting against his iron grip and losing. His fingers wound around her wrists like super glue._

"_Not until you tell me what's gotten into you." Chad begged, tightening his hold almost to the point where it hurt her. "Is it someone else?"_

"_No!"_

"_Did you hear a rumor about me from someone? Because I think I really pissed Jimmy off at practice and he's _

_been-"_

"_No, it's not that!" She was crying now, the tears cascading south of her cheeks like raindrops. "Just let me go, Chad!"_

"_What is it?!" Chad nearly shouted, now having enough of her beat-around-the-bush nonsense. "What could I possibly have done to cause you to act this way?!"_

"_IT'S ME, GOD DAMN IT!!!" she screamed in fury. "I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE!!!"_

_You could have placed three hungry, raging dogs in the backseat of the car for all Chad was listening. The area surrounding him had ceased to exist, his heartbeat was now a distant memory, and his brain function was more complicated than the situation he was in. He was as frozen as an iceberg, but with nothing beneath the surface to catch his fall. He just stared at Taylor with nothing short of hurt. Confusion, heartbreak, and hurt. His hands slid off of her wrists slowly and unconsciously._

_Taylor watched his hand drop with an agonized look and fighting the same battle as him, only she seemed to be winning against the lump in her throat, for she started "Chad…"_

_She didn't continue. Chad blinked twice and turned his head just a fraction towards the oncoming headlights that were heading toward his car. He heard her gasp and whisper "No…" Taylor sucked in a deep breath and whimpered "Chad, you can't be here right now. You have to go."_

_He didn't reply. Chad just swallowed and watched the two silhouette figures exit the vehicle, one large like a man and one a little smaller, but with a woman's figure. They froze when they saw his car and seemed to tense, even in the dark. They looked familiar._

_He swallowed again, the clog rising in his neck. "Fine," he whispered. "Leave."_

_Taylor inhaled, but didn't let it leave her lungs. Chad didn't acknowledge any of these facts as his eyes were still teasing him and he knew that if he blinked, they would spill over and betray him and his rock hard exterior. He was as still as a statue. You couldn't even see him breathing._

_Taylor's watery voice seemed to come out of nowhere. "You don't deserve me anyway," She opened the car door and grabbed her purse, turning to finish "please remember that."_

_The only way Chad knew to turn the car back on was the slamming of the front door. He drove slowly, slipping through the streets invisibly without even seeing them, the tears rolling down his flushed cheeks._

**END FLASHBACK**

"So she just left you there?" Troy asked as Chad finished the story and their assignment.

"Yup…"

Troy scoffed "Wait, so you two aren't officially over yet. She never really said that you were done." The glint of hope in his eyes was noticeable, but didn't encourage Chad to answer the way his best friend wanted him to.

Chad rolled his eyes and looked up at Troy for the first time since starting the story. "What's the point of staying in a relationship when you don't love the person? It's a giant waste of time and I don't have that kind of time to waste. Not with the game coming up. Face it, Troy. Taylor and I are history."

Troy watched Chad bury his head in his hands, knowing that he was silently crying out for his ex to walk through that classroom door and run into his arms, taking back every word that she had said to him. Chad didn't deserve this, he concluded. He was either going to get over it or demand an explanation from Taylor for her sudden lack of heart. Chad would _not_ suffer from her selfishness.

"Not if I can help it…"

--

"Sharpay!"

The blonde spun around and cocked her head to the side as she saw who was running up to her.

"Troy?"

Troy finally caught up to her and started "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Sharpay hesitantly nodded. "Depends on what you want to know. What's up?"

Troy sighed and pulled her over to the lockers, keeping his voice low. "Have you seen Taylor today?"

Sharpay's eyes immediately saddened, lowering to the floor. "Yeah. Gabby and I are taking turns checking on her."

"So she's as bad as Chad?"

"Worse."

Troy shook his head. "I don't think that's possible."

Sharpay giggled without humor and started walking again. "Oh yeah? Is Chad breaking out into random fits of sobs every five minutes? Is Chad slacking off in class? Is Chad having constant nightmares about her?"

Troy retaliated "He would be crying if he weren't so stubborn, he's actually doing _better_ in school, which is not normal, and he woke up screaming on Saturday when I slept over. His behavior is completely flipped and that's not good."

"So they're the same?"

"Seems like it."

The two slumped their shoulders, now totally stuck on what to make of the situation. They paid no attention to the bustling students that walked around them unconsciously and they didn't realize that they were about to be late to their next class. They just stood there against the lockers, faces forlorn, and depressed.

Suddenly, Sharpay's face lit up, taking Troy by surprise. "Wait! Where's Gabby?!"

"Why?"

"Have you seen her?"

"How should I know? You're the one who last saw her."

"Damn, you're right…" Her face fell for a split second before becoming serious again. "Text her and tell her to meet us outside of the cafeteria bathrooms."

"Us?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes and huffed "Don't you want to get Chad and Taylor back together?" She grabbed his arm and began pulling him along with her. He stopped her.

"Depends on how you plan on doing it. What's going on, Sharpay?" He gave her an extremely skeptical look, afraid to take another step toward the crazed blonde.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Just trust me on this one, Troy. I know Taylor so much better than you ever will and I know what it takes to get her to listen."

"Then why isn't she talking yet?"

Sharpay gritted her teeth and glared hard at him, growling "Bolton…"

Troy sighed, digging in his pocket to grab his phone and reassured her "Fine, I'm texting, I'm texting."

--

The dance team hustled out of the locker rooms, chatting with their teammates about the recent practice. It's only been two weeks, six practices and they already had half of another routine down. This time they were practicing hard for the state championships that they would take part in just a short month and a half. Everyone was excited, mainly for the fact that they were going against West High again, who won the competition last year. They swore to themselves that they would not let their rival school beat them once again and they were confident in that oath since Brandon was now leading them to victory. They all agreed that Michael was pretty good as a captain the previous year, but he wasn't nearly as good as Brandon and definitely not as passionate. Which was most likely the reason that he was voted captain so quickly.

Brandon, Mike, Todd, and Drew were the last ones to exit the locker rooms after changing and discussing the next practice on Wednesday. They talked over trying new flips and lifts, but turned down most of the lift ideas since they all seemed a little too cheerleader for them and, according to Todd, cheerleaders were _definitely_ not hip-hop.

After Todd and Drew left, only Brandon and Mike remained to continue talking and laughing off topic. They soon found themselves in the middle of the gym when Mike finally brought up the topic of Brandon's job audition.

"So…" he started "you get an answer yet?"

Brandon struggled to suppress a grin, knowing very well what he was talking about. "Yeah, they called at lunch."

"Well?" Mike pushed, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Brandon let his smile free and slapped palms with his friend. "Say hello to the new instructor of the senior classes."

Mike smiled back at him and even though he anticipated Brandon getting the job, slight shock still took over him. "Holy crap, that's awesome! Congrats, man!"

Brandon shrugged "Thanks. But I gotta give you props. I mean if it weren't for you helping me out before the tryout, I probably would've had a panic attack."

Mike nodded "No problem, dude. Did you tell anyone else yet?"

Brandon shook his head and replied "Nope, I wasn't ready yet. I was going to tell them this morning, but Chad and Taylor aren't exactly in the mood for celebrating."

Mike's eyebrows came together in confusion and worry. "Are they okay?" He concerned.

Brandon shrugged again, brushing off the matter like it wasn't all that important. "They'll be fine. They go through this at least once a month."

Mike chuckled "Make-up, break-up game?"

"Kinda, only this is the first time that they've ever broken up. They just constantly fight and argue."

"Wow, sounds like love to me." Mike said "You and Amy should advise them on that. You two are pros."

Brandon laughed, pushing Mike away by the shoulder. "Shut up, man."

He laughed along with him and joked "I'm serious, you could write a book with all the experience you have."

Brandon rolled his eyes "Mike, look where all of that fighting led us."

Mike nodded and pointed out "It led you to Izzy and Amy to me. Is that such a bad thing?"

Brandon shook his head, starting to see his point. "I guess not. They're possibly the best thing that ever happened to us."

"Exactly my point. You could share all of that wisdom with people who need it."

Brandon stopped walking and asked semi-seriously "Like who? I don't know anyone who would need anything like that."

Mike didn't stop, but slowed his pace a little. "I do…" he mumbled.

"Huh?"

He stopped, slamming his eyes shut as he realized that he said too much. He dropped his shoulders and clutched his gym bag strap with nervousness, turning around to face Brandon. "Nothing, man, I just know some people who need some serious help right now."

Brandon cocked his head to the side, curiously asking "Oh yeah? Who?"

Mike avoided eye contact with his best friend, looking at the ground and hesitated for a moment before answering "My cousin. She…she was suicidal a few months ago."

Brandon grimaced. "Why?"

Mike seemed to be getting more and more irritated with every word that came out of his mouth next. "Who knows? She never talked to anyone about her problems except her idiot brother and God knows he didn't do anything but make things worse." He glared at the bleachers on the other side of the gym with a faraway look in his hard eyes.

Brandon paused, noticing the sudden tense turn that the atmosphere had turned in just a couple of seconds. He carefully asked "Did she eventually get help?"

Mike's expression suddenly switched again, from anger to sadness. He still didn't look at Brandon as he shook his head slowly. "Nope. By the time her brother found her, it was too late. She was only sixteen, Brandon, and she killed herself." He closed his eyes in a blink that lasted a little longer than a few seconds. When he reopened them Brandon could plainly see the new glassiness.

Some of Michael's old anger must have traveled from him to Brandon because he could feel the simmering heat building into his system. "Michael, I'm sorry to hear that. Why didn't her brother do anything? Didn't he care?"

Mike nodded and replied "Of course he cared. It was just his form of 'helping' that sets me off. At her funeral, he said that she was trying to help herself and he approved of it. When he said that, I lost all remaining respect that I had for him. He supported her decision to commit suicide. I haven't spoken to him since."

Brandon took note of his friend's forlorn expression, the look of disgust and betrayal that crossed his features. It hurt to look at. Brandon couldn't imagine the feelings that Mike must have felt right now. "You were really close to him, weren't you?" he predicted, already knowing the answer.

A tiny grin lifted at the corner of Mike's lips, probably from a distant memory from better times. "Especially him. Emmett was like the brother I never had."

Things were silent after that, but not awkward. Mike was who knows where in his thoughts and Brandon was still trying to figure a few things out. He remembered Mike being very distant and depressed at the beginning of summer, but quickly got over it. That must have been when he and Amy got together. He had asked Mike why he was so down but every time he just shrugged it off as nothing. It all made sense now. But one other thing was tugging at his mind…

"What do you mean 'she tried to help herself'?"

Mike's eyes switched to Brandon and sighed, hesitating again. He took a few steps towards Brandon and stated "Brandon will you promise me something?"

Confused and hesitant, Brandon nodded slowly. "…sure. What is it?"

Mike closed his eyes for a quick second before opening them again, determination and confidence blaring from them. "You have to swear to me that you'll never cut yourself. I can't have someone else that I care about do that to themselves again. Please, just promise me that."

Brandon just stood there, blinking at him and even more confused than ever. How could he think that he would do something so stupid? "Of course I promise that. I already swore to Troy and Gabriella."

"You did? When?"

Brandon recalled "Last week. Gabby was telling Troy that she would start cutting herself if something ever happened to him and we promised each oth—wait, she never promised me anything…" His voice drifted off at the end, not remembering anything about his sister promising anything, although she brought it up in the first place.

Mike shook his head slightly. "You promised her but she didn't promise you?"

Brandon still wasn't completely back from his recollection. "Yeah, I guess so…"

Mike shrugged, nearly forgetting his depression in the humor of the situation. "Wow, so you're the only one making any promises then."

"You're right, I am."

"And you're keeping those promises, right?"

Brandon raised his right hand and lifted his chin. "I swear on our friendship I will never hurt myself for anybody, even Isabelle."

Mike smiled weakly. "Thanks, Brandon. You have no idea how important this is to me."

Brandon rolled his eyes and started walking toward the front gym doors again, resting an elbow on Mike's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm a happy person with a happy life. What could possibly go wrong?"

The two became so caught up in the sarcastic possibilities of what could send Brandon's life down the toilet that they didn't notice the back doors of the gym close and the deep, familiar chuckle of a young man clad in black, his piercing brown eyes boring invisible holes in Brandon's back.

* * *

**Not trying to sound cocky or anything, but I really love that ending. Hehe, guess who...**

**Well, I'm gonna go hit the sack. It's almost 3 AM over here and my dad would kill me if I wake him up :S So sorry, no previews or trivia, but check back later tomorrow and I might post them up.**

**And make sure to review! We're really slacking in those. 7 for last chapter? I know we can do better than that...**

**~Rachel :)**


	17. Over Your Shoulder

**I'm just gonna shut up...**

**Chapter 16 – Over Your Shoulder**

* * *

"Troy!"

Chad took another look around the giant room, feeling confused and slightly stood-up. He took out the folded piece of paper from his sweatshirt pocket and opened it again.

_Meet me in the library at lunch._

_- Troy_

Chad sighed and sat down on a computer chair as the impatience crawled its way into his brain. _This had better be good_, he thought to himself. _Taking me away from taco day in the cafeteria. And why the damn library? He knows that this is one of Taylor's favorite places in the whole stupid school. Is he _trying_ to kill me? He's officially strangled when he gets here-_

Footsteps sounded through the ghost-town that was the hallway. Chad's head snapped up and he listened closer, wondering if Troy had finally decided to show up. He was already ten minutes late and was always on Chad's back about it being him that was late. The little hypocrite.

"Troy?"

"Gabriella?"

Chad's eyebrows came together. Since when had he started sounding like Gabriella in any way? He stood up and took a few steps over towards the door. "Troy, is that you?"

"No, it's-" The person finally stepped through the doorway and froze in her tracks, making Chad stop breathing as well. The two stared at each other for what felt like hours and forgot all about their past confusion about their missing friends.

"You're not Troy…" Chad whispered.

Without saying anything else, Taylor spun around on her heels and made a mad dash for the door. But rejoining basketball must have done well for Chad for he caught up to her easily, even from halfway across the giant room. He quickly wound his arms around her waist and pulled her as close to his body as he could, relishing every second. He missed holding her like this.

His moment wasn't even ruined when her desperate shrieks rang in his ears. "Chad, please, let go!"

He held her even tighter and calmly whispered into the side of her head. "Taylor, no. I'm not letting go of you again. Never again."

The thickness in her voice was now evident as the tears involuntarily pooled to her eyes. "Chad, I'm begging you, let me leave! Now!"

Chad spun her around so that she was now facing him dead in the face. Their eyes were both terribly intense, wishing that this whole fight would just be done and over with. Chad especially since he had absolutely no idea what started it in the first place. "Not until you hear what I have to say. I've been holding this in for a week and I'm not about to let this chance go. After I'm done you have all rights to run away and never speak to me again, deal?"

He waited for her to answer, loosening his grip on her arms by just a fraction of an inch, but it was enough to let Taylor see that he was actually giving her a choice. Her eyes still remained averted from his eyes, but she nodded unsteadily.

He followed her actions and, in a strong voice, told her "Taylor, you were always the one to call the shots in this relationship and I've never objected because I knew that you were just doing what was best for us. You've always led us in the right direction because of all your hard work and that's probably the reason that I fell for you in the first place. When I saw you blow a fuse last week, I didn't know what to think at first. The whole time that Gabriella was gone talking to you I was trying to come up with reasons that all ended up being my fault as to why you were so angry.

You're this perfect, confident, independent woman so I knew that it couldn't be your fault. Even if it really was, I knew that you would somehow turn it all on me but you know what? I'm okay with that. I always was and always will be willing to take the blame for you because I know that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if one of those mistakes that were your fault caused you to leave me. I love you, Taylor McKessie. The arrogant, air-headed Chad Danforth is whipped for the first and hopefully only time and I'm just asking you to please tell me what I did that could cause you to act like this. Please, just tell me."

Chad's words seemed to have stunned Taylor into a state of surprise. Her eyes had trailed up to his sometime after his first sentence but she didn't have the heart to regret it. The whole time that he was speaking to her, she searched for any indication of him feigning that amazing grouping of words, but failed to find anything. She was shocked. Completely and utterly shocked and no amount of screaming, physical contact, or the door opening and quickly shutting behind her could make her come back to life.

Once she found her vocal cords, she stuttered in a whisper "D-do you really m-mean that?"

"Every word," Chad immediately answered, trying to put off the need to blink for as long as he could.

Her bottom lip began to quiver, the tears rushing to her eyes as the chilling guilt dragged through her system. _If only he knew_, she thought to herself. _He shouldn't have said that, it's only going to get him hurt. I have to hurt him again_.

"Chad," she started, her eyes dropping down to his chest again. "Chad, I-"

The pressure released from her wrists, but they dropped to her sides anyway as she watched Chad back away from her slowly. His head was slowly bobbing up and down while he said "I get it. I just had to get that off of my chest before forbidding myself to ever see you again. Sorry."

Immense terror flooded Taylor when she saw his retreating figure push past her gently and pull open the entrance doors to the library. He was really doing it. He was leaving her for good when it should have been her to make that speech. He was turning the tables on her for once and actually succeeding this time.

She couldn't do this. Letting him slip through her fingers the first time was hard enough, but it would just crush her further if she let it happen again now. And this time she feared that it would crush her beyond repair.

About a second had passed since these thoughts had entered her mind, but it was enough for the decision to make itself for her. Her feet ran forward and her arms reached out for his, pulling him back and spinning him around to face her. His eyes were damp and soaked. This only motivated her brain even more.

"Tay-"

Taylor's forceful lips covered his after her hands grabbed his face to lock him in place. Her eyes squeezed shut and she inhaled the average, yet delicious scent that she missed so much, which caused her to push herself even closer to his shock-frozen body.

The majority of Chad's brain told him to stop this, to push her away and run out before she had the chance to open her eyes again but then there was the smaller portion. The one that screamed for him to trap her in his arms and never set her free of his love and affection. It was that part of his conscience that he usually listened to and he had no intensions to quit using it now. It was probably the reason he got in trouble so often.

Taylor tightened her hold on Chad's soft cheeks and, whimpering in between kisses, told him "My…parents…made…me…do it," Another deep kiss. "I'm…sorry…Chad…I…love…you."

Chad quickly reached up to grab her hands away from his face. "What?"

He took note of the slippery surface of her face from the tears and held her head in his large hands. "What do you mean 'they made you do it'? They forced you?"

Taylor nodded and inhaled sharply. "They came up to me after you dropped me off last Tuesday and saw my left arm."

"So?"

Taylor backed up by just a slight inch and rolled up her left sleeve, holding it up for Chad to see the almost faded bruise that was in the shape of Brick's hand…and his.

Taylor took his shocked silence as a sign to go on. "I tried to tell them that you just caught me from falling, but they saw the rest of my cuts and bruises and I couldn't make any more excuses. I screamed and cried and told them that they were wrong, but they didn't want to listen. They finally found their excuse, Chad."

"Th-they think that I…_beat_ you?"

Taylor shrugged "They don't think anymore. They _know_. And no matter what I say, they still won't allow you within 50 feet of me. They said that if they ever saw you around my house, they'd have you arrested and possibly have us relocated."

"Relocated?" His eyes widened. "As in you're _moving_?!"

Taylor shook her head "That's only if I ever 'accept my fears and want to take precautions'. They think that I'm in denial."

Chad's back hit the wall and he slid down a little bit, staring straight ahead out the window. The only feeling in his body was the lingering tingle in his lips from Taylor's amazing kisses.

"Chad?" She knelt before him and took hold of his shoulders. "I'm not moving."

"How can you be so sure?" His eyes lifted to meet hers and what he saw made him gain another thundering feeling in his heart. Taylor's eyes, glowing with relief and adoration, stared straight into his. She was finally his again.

"Because," she answered "I'll just continue to mope around and pretend as though I hate my parents for being so close-minded, hoping that I can pull it off long enough for them to realize that I'm right. They'll have to cave sometime."

"And what if you cave first?" He rebelled, feeling the fear seeping into his already tired features.

Taylor immediately replied "I won't, sweetie." She scooted closer to him and grinned "I have you to motivate me."

Chad gave a small smile as well and let his forehead fall against hers, whispering "I'm sorry."

"For what? You didn't do anything."

Chad shook his head while pulling it back, explaining "Exactly. I should never have left you alone in that hallway in the first place. I should have-"

Taylor interrupted "You should stop blaming yourself, that's what you should be doing. You had no idea that it was going to happen, and what's done is done. In all seriousness, I think it helped us a little."

"How do you figure?"

Taylor shrugged and lay her head on his shoulder while moving into his lap. "I don't know, I guess it finally let my parents off the hook so they can stop tearing their hair out to get rid of you, and it really made us stronger, theoretically."

"How we totally fall apart if we're not together?"

Taylor giggled and nodded, kissing his nose quickly. "Exactly. So the question now is," She took his hand in hers. "What do we do now?"

Chad took a deep breath and dropped his gaze to the ground, skimming through his mind for something, anything that could help make the situation better or easier on their part.

"The only thing I can think of," Taylor sighed dejectedly "is for us to talk to my parents."

"What?" Chad, alarmed, sat straight up, almost knocking her off of his lap. "Are you crazy? Do you _want_ me to go to jail?!"

Taylor quickly reassured him with a smooth stroke of his arm. "No one's going to jail, honey. Except maybe, _hopefully_, Brick, but we'll talk about him later."

Chad huffed and got to his feet, holding his hand out for Taylor. "I'm serious, Tay. You know your parents. The second they spot me at the door, they'll grab you, your dad will choke me against the wall, and your mom will call the cops. There won't be any time for an explanation. Face it, we're screwed."

Taylor rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, do you have any better ideas?"

Chad was only a millisecond away from saying "Not even close" when something that Troy had said to him earlier that week came rushing back into his head. They had been sitting in front of the TV at Chad's place, moping as usual, when Troy suddenly jerked up from his spot on the couch and exclaimed "Duh!" After explaining himself to his friend, Chad told him that it was probably the worst idea that he'd ever heard in his entire life, even worse than some of his ideas. After a few more words of wisdom to Chad, Troy gave up and continued wallowing in his friend's grief.

Chad grinned "Actually, I think I do. What do you think about pulling a Romeo and Juliet for a while?"

"Excuse me?"

"A secret relationship. Just until we're ready to come out with it again."

Taylor's jaw dropped about ten feet, making Chad's smile falter a little. He knew that there were major flaws in that idea, but he figured that since she was one to love solving mysteries, she wouldn't mind trying it out for a test drive first.

Apparently, he forgot that she was also one to think rationally and follow her brain first, other than her heart. "Chad, are you insane?!"

Chad sighed, trying again. "Tay, just hear me out for a sec. It could work. We could meet up every free period, walk to school together every morning, and sleep over at Troy or Brandon's houses on Fridays."

"What about the sleepovers?"

Chad rolled his eyes. "Have I taught you nothing at all? Sharpay and Gabriella would be happy to be lies for you."

"You want me to lie to my parents?!"

"Like you haven't ever done it before."

They stared each other down for a few minutes, Taylor with hard eyes and Chad with eyes that spelled "You know I'm right." It was finally her turn to roll her eyes, huffing "Fine. You really think that it's going to work?"

Chad encircled her in his embrace, kissing her cheek while murmuring "The only way it won't is if we don't try or let our guard down. And I'm not about to let you go without another fight. Never forget that I love you, alright?"

Taylor turned her head to the side, her response speaking for itself in a sweet, long over due kiss.

--

Lunch was just ending, the students emptying their trays and gathering their books for their next class. The usual conversations swam around the light atmosphere as the different cliques headed off in their separate groups to get as much conversation in as they could before the bell rang. No one noticed the four missing members of the head clique that sat at the longest table near the huge window in the wall, it's members heading out in the usual pack. The only ones who noticed the absence were the members themselves, who understood the excuse of two of the four but were confused as to the disappearance of the other couple.

Ryan sighed "Guess Troy and Gabriella decided to ditch, too."

Sharpay shrugged "Yeah, wonder where they went."

Brandon's face scrunched into a look of pure disgust and its slight overprotective fence that had been filed down since the previous year. Under his breath, he muttered "I think I've got a pretty good idea…"

Troy and Gabriella sat invisible to the outside world in the empty, darkened corner of the music room. They knew that the period was just about over, but they decided to stretch out their time together for as long as possible and head out a few moments after the bell rang. For now, they just rested silently in each other's arms, Gabriella leaning on her boyfriend's chest and looking down at the hem of his shirt, tittering with it between her small fingers. Troy, on the other hand, draped his arm gently around her shoulders and cradled her head in his muscular arm, stroking her hair absentmindedly. The only noise that could be heard was their soft breathing and normal heartbeats. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, as they'd quickly admit, but it was unusual. Troy and Gabriella would usually quietly chat and laugh about whatever was on their minds until their time ran out. But this was different. Troy didn't move. He just fell lazily against the wall without a care and stared ahead at the old acoustic guitar in front of him. Gabriella eventually looked up at his beautiful blue eyes and followed his gaze to the instrument that stood before them.

Her whisper broke the comfortable atmosphere that floated around them. "You're quiet."

Troy blinked out of his daydreams and looked down at the angel in his arms, the corners of his lips pulling up in a small, reassuring grin. "Sorry, just drifting, I guess."

Gabriella snuggled closer into his relaxed body, wrapping her arms around him. "Where'd you go this time?" she joked.

"Back to last week," he answered "after we told your mom about us."

"The note?"

Troy nodded, his eyes returning to the guitar. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it a lot these past couple of days."

Gabriella sighed, closing her eyes and inhaling his scent. "What about it?" she wondered.

Troy's lips pursed, trying to word his explanation in a way that they both could understand. "I don't know. Something just doesn't add up right. Why would Brick give up on us so fast? Certainly he can't think that he's done enough to us yet. He didn't even do anything serious to me or Brandon like his uncle did."

Gabriella shrugged, opening her eyes and, without thinking, replying "I don't know, Troy, he beat us up pretty badly. There was the mall blowing up, taking me, taking Sharpay, Taylor, and now breaking up her and Chad."

Troy's hand froze, his head spinning around to face her below him. Confused, he said "Wait, what? Breaking them up?"

"Huh?"

Troy asked "How does he have anything to do with that? I thought that Taylor just didn't love him anymore."

Gabriella, just now realizing what she said, gulped and avoided all eye contact with him. Eventually she sputtered "Uhh…yeah, think about it. They're always fighting, which is never good. Plus, it's obvious that she's the head of the relationship and takes everything more seriously than he does."

"So how does Brick have anything to do with that?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes and lied "Troy, isn't it obvious? Brick's attacks are obviously taking the biggest toll on their relationship. They probably have different views on what's going on and can't reach any common ground on who's right. Face it. Brick's doing that on purpose."

Troy's hand started back up again, his breath coming out regularly now. He shrugged and thought aloud "I guess that makes sense. But how does he know all of those little key points that set them off and make them fight?"

The lying, physically, was becoming a little easier for the brunette but her internal organs were beginning to twist and contort into what she felt was the word "liar". She felt terrible about hiding the truth from her boyfriend, but knew that protecting her friend was the right thing to do. Sure, Troy would have helped majorly, but she figured that he must have been tired of always worrying and helping out his loved ones in a situation that he felt _he_ was the cause of. Giving him a break just felt right. And Taylor would figure something out sooner or later. She always did.

"How could he _not_ know their key points?" she giggled, trying to hide the force from her voice. "They have one of the most predicable relationships that I've ever seen."

Troy laughed a little, agreeing "Yeah, sometimes I just count down the seconds until Taylor complains about something Chad's doing."

"Like the time he spent twenty minutes in the mall checking out his facial hair to see if every hair was even?"

Troy nodded with a smile. "And he counts each hair every day to see if anything's falling out. He was late for one of their dates because of that."

Gabriella gave a high-pitched laugh and then sighed. "Oh, Chad Danforth. The most anal man I've ever met in my life."

She looked up at Troy's calm, angelic face and he looked back down at her, his already relaxed eyes softening at the sight of his girlfriend of a year. "Troy Bolton," she whispered "The most lovable man I've ever met in my life."

Troy's only response was a gentle kiss on her lips. She grinned against his and, very reluctantly, they both pulled away from each other, Gabriella letting hear head fall into his chest again and closing her eyes, relishing ever second of this amazing moment.

That moment came to an abrupt end when the door to the room swung open and a familiar figure casually stepped through, heading over for their corner. His footsteps slowed as his approach grew nearer but once he saw the innocent position that the couple was in, he sighed and said "I knew you'd be here."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Of course you did. We spend way too much time together and you've gotten inside my head."

"Please, I got inside your head when we turned four." Brandon walked over to a stool and sat down, looking down at the couple. "We missed you at lunch."

Gabriella shrugged "We weren't hungry."

"For food?"

Troy's eyes narrowed into annoyed slits. "There's your first warning."

Brandon cracked an amused grin and then sighed. "So why the music room?"

"You're in my head, bro." Troy smiled. "You figure it out."

"That's not fair."

"Neither is having your moment interrupted by your girlfriend's nosy brother, but you don't hear me complaining now do you?"

Brandon rolled his eyes, giving Troy the easy win without trying any further. He sighed and got to his feet before turning to head out the door. "Fine. Class starts in two minutes, just so you know."

Gabriella nodded "Thanks. We'll be out in a sec."

On Brandon's way out the door, his eyes landed on the wooden instrument that stood in front of him. He cocked his head to the side as his girlfriend's voice entered his brain, reciting a conversation that they had a few days ago.

"_Oh please, Izzy. You said it yourself that I'm practically flawless. There couldn't possibly be anything more that I can do that could turn you on right now."_

_Isabelle giggled "The only thing more that you can do is play me my favorite song over the phone on an acoustic guitar. I love musicians, you know."_

A sly smile crossed his handsome features, his eyes beginning to glitter with a brilliant plan forming in his imagination.

"Brandon?" Gabriella called in an annoyed tone, causing Brandon to snap out of his frozen trance. His cheeky grin took the place of his suspicious smile and he turned around, facing Troy and ignoring his sister.

"What?" Troy asked.

"You still play the guitar, right?"

Troy nodded slowly, surveying "I'm getting better since Jason's been teaching me. Why?"

"Jason's up for teaching?"

Troy and Gabriella both arched an eyebrow. "What's up, Brandon?"

Still paying no attention to Gabriella, Brandon said "I need you two guys to do me a favor…"

--

"Brandon Joseph Montez!"

"What?!"

Isabelle's humored, yet irritated voice exploded from the phone again. "Do you realize how dangerously close I am to losing half of my respect for you?"

Brandon chuckled and threw his head back on his pillow. "Izzy, I'm sorry but I just don't see how you can find their music even remotely enjoyable. I mean, have you seen their video for When I'm Gone? It makes no sense!"

Isabelle huffed and crossed her arms. "The song's about leaving behind all the extra baggage in your life and that girl is his ex. She's trying to forget him and keeps seeing him everywhere she goes while he's out living his life to the fullest. Is that a good enough explanation to get through your thick head?"

Brandon paused and slowly smiled. "Sorry."

"Uhh! Come _on_, Brandon!" He could hear her flopping down on her bed as well. "Simple Plan are geniuses and you know it! Haven't you heard Untitled?"

Brandon shrugged "Yeah, and that's one of their few good songs, but the whole band is just a big turn off for me. They seem too popish for me."

"Fine, then you have no taste in music."

"Hey, that hurt!" he teased "And you said it yourself, you're starting to get a little more into real rock music because yours truly introduced to you to the amazing, uplifting world of Three Days Grace."

Isabelle sighed "Yeah, I'll admit that, but Brooke showed me Simple Plan first and I've had a longer time to fall in love with them. And besides," she grinned to herself as her retort flowed off of her tongue slowly "Never Too Late is soo 2006."

Brandon suddenly sat up straight in his bed. "You will take that back right now!"

She giggled evilly. "Sorry." She quoted.

"Isabelle Marie Johnson!"

"What?" He could hear that she was clearly having too much fun with all of his quotes.

"That song never dies! I've listened to it over 1,000 times and my play count on my computer proves it!"

"Same with me and Untitled. Made me cry the first fifty times."

"Made me cringe the first time."

She gasped, but it was quickly followed by a quick laugh. "You heartless monster! I faintly recall you saying that you started to tear up when you first heard Riot because you 'couldn't see how anything could be so perfect'."

Brandon replied "And I faintly recall doing that same thing when we went on our first date. Remember? We had our first kiss in the rain."

Isabelle immediately calmed down, sinking back into her mattress and relishing the ancient, yet youthful memory of the first time they had made that first connection. Her smile grew even wider when she remembered the first time that they exchanged those three magical words right after. "Of course I remember," she whispered, closing her eyes and sighing. "I'll never forget it."

"Me neither," he said softly. "You're the highlight of my high school career."

Isabelle giggled "If you ask me, I think that getting your best friend back after five years, killing your gym teacher, and getting shot in the arm would top little old me, don't you think?"

Brandon looked down at his left forearm, the dark scar from the metal weapon still obviously noticeable on his skin. He closed his eyes. Never before had he ever felt such physical pain. Nothing could hurt as badly as an unexpected gunshot.

"_Other than an unexpected stab at the heart."_ His conscience barked at him. He sighed. He would never forgive himself for what he did to Troy and wished that no one else had. He didn't deserve it. It didn't matter how pissed off he was at the moment. No one deserved that, especially just if they were just trying to protect you from your own death.

Brandon sighed again. "Okay, they all happened at around the same time in the same year. How about just one huge highlight, deal?"

Isabelle smiled "Deal. So how's that new job of yours going?"

Brandon grinned in satisfaction as he remembered the last time that he stepped into the dance studio. 20 young dancers that were only a year, at the most, younger than him sat and gabbed with their classmates about one thing and one thing only: who the new dance instructor was. Most had mixed looks of sadness and suspicion, probably because they were going to miss their old teacher. Alex told Brandon that the former instructor had quite a connection with the kids. Jared, he remembered his name to be. Alex had walked in and gave Brandon a formal introduction, telling the students that he was a passionate, skilled teenager who was a lot like Jared so that should take away some of the homesickness. Brandon walked in and immediately felt a surge of relief, even when no one said anything to him yet. The kids spent half of the session questioning Brandon on his dancing past and what his plans for the future were. A few jokes were thrown in here and there and by the time they were done, Brandon witnessed all of the satisfied smiles and nods that went around the room. He smiled along with them.

By the time he finished explaining all of this to Isabelle, Brandon added "I feel like I'm really connecting with them, you know? Even though I've only worked for three days, I think they're starting to look up to me. One girl even called me Jared by mistake."

"That's great, sweetie. What are your hours?"

"On Tuesdays and Thursdays I work from five to seven and on Saturdays it's from one to three thirty. Seriously, babe, by the end of the week I'm drained."

Isabelle let out a loud laugh, joking "Holy crap, you dance from Monday to Saturday?"

"Yup, school is on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during ninth period. Crazy, right?"

The blonde giggled one last time before groaning "Damn, I have to get back to work on my stupid English project. We're supposed to research three occupations that we're interested in and write an eight page report comparing the pros and cons of each choice. I think we've done this for the past four years."

Brandon nodded "We did something like that last year after you left. What are your choices?"

"I don't know yet, it was just assigned to us today. Brooke's coming over in a few minutes so that we can brainstorm and as of now, I'm totally stumped. I'm thinking of high school lacrosse coach and the owner of a music store, but that's all I've got. What do you think?"

Brandon paced the ideas around in his head, knowing that she'd be an excellent coach for her favorite sport, but she also loved the music business as well. He finally replied "What about owning your own clothing boutique? You love that stuff."

Isabelle said "I'd only do something like that if Sharpay were in it with me. I can seriously see her becoming the owner of a store that only sells stuff in pink."

"Me too. The girl needs some serious physiological help with that color. You'd be good with that."

Isabelle shrugged "Ehh, I guess. I'm not really all that good with people, though…"

"Yes you are!" Another voice squealed over the phone. Brandon laughed. The obvious Australian accent brought one name to his head.

"Tell Brooke that I said hi."

"Hi, sexy!"

"Brooke, what the hell?"

"What? He is! Look at that picture on your bedside table! He has the most amazing six-pack I've ever seen!"

"…okay, he does, doesn't he?" Isabelle gushed.

"Hell yeah he does! And look at his arms! I swear, he can carry me _and_ Aunt Katrina!"

"He can carry me and Gabriella all the way from his parking lot to his kitchen!"

"Izzy, you lucky little bitch!"

"I know, right?!"

"Girls! I'm still here!" Brandon finally interrupted, still cracking up.

Isabelle laughed along with him "Oh, sorry, babe. We better go before this gets too out of hand. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

Brandon nodded "As soon as I get out of school."

Brooke called from what seemed like the other side of the room "Can't wait to meet you at the dance competition, Brandon! You better be good for as far as we're going!"

"Brooke!" Isabelle barked.

"Can't wait to meet you either, Brooke. And I don't think I'm too terrible."

Brooke, distracted again, said to Isabelle "You better keep a good hold on him, Blondie. Whenever he comes up here, the girls are gonna eat him alive and won't puke him back up."

Isabelle replied "If that were to happen, I'd let you get the biggest share. I don't trust those girls with him…" _Click_.

Brandon hung up his cell phone confused. "Huh," he mumbled to himself "you think I'd be used to that kind of stuff by now…" Gabriella and the girls always gushed over how gorgeous their boyfriends were and how they'd always dip them in chocolate and eat them for dinner. The guys would always just look at them awkwardly and then break into a sudden conversation with each other to try and forget the lust building in their systems.

Brandon swung his legs over his bed and grabbed his gym bag when he felt a chilling gust of air hit him on his bare arms. He looked to his right and rolled his eyes once he realized that he had stupidly left the window open. After closing it tightly and locking it, he crossed the room and reached for his doorknob. As he twisted the door open, a faint rustle of leaves came from somewhere behind his head. Spinning his head around and peering out at the wall, his eyebrows came together as he thought to himself "Wait, didn't I just close that?"

Brandon's bag slid from his shoulder and he absentmindedly let it, not being able to tear his eyes away from the open window. He blinked once. If there was one thing he knew it was that he wasn't crazy, he swore to it. He slowly walked to the other side of the room and stared at the lock which could only be used from the inside. He traced his finger over it and looked outside again, seeing nothing but the gentle breeze tossing around the tree branches hanging from the huge tree that could also be seen from Gabriella's balcony. Everything was perfectly normal. Maybe it was just a faulty lock. His hands came up and slid the window down again and locking it, tighter this time. He sighed. Maybe he _was_ going crazy without Isabelle.

Before reluctantly turning his head once again to head out, his eyes caught something unusual. A dark figure, a shadow most likely, standing frozen under the willow tree out in his backyard. He looked a little closer and blinked, but by then it was gone. His head cocked to the side, and then backed away from the window.

Maybe he was going crazy…

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**Okay, how was that? I was really struggling with this chapter for some reason, I think it was just the Chad/Taylor talk that I couldn't get right. I hope it's okay.**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- We skip ahead a few months**

**- More Troyella**

**- Some major foreshadowing for what's to happen in later chapters**

**Trivia:**

**- I just had to put in Brandon and Isabelle's conversation about Simple Plan. I LOVE them!**

**- If you're confused about Brandon coming in and asking Troy for that favor, don't worry, it'll be explained a little furthur next chapter.**


	18. Strength & Weaknesses

**SCHOOL'S OUT!!! Sorry for the long UD period (as I usually am) but I was too excited at the idea of me becoming a FRESHMAN!!! Yay, my friends and I are the little kids again...**

**Plus (and I know this is totally irrelevant to the story) but I'm turning 14 on the 10th :) So lots of reviews would make me very happy :D**

**Chapter 17 – Strength and Weaknesses**

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"Run it again, guys!"

The music spilled from the speakers like an avalanche, flowing right through the dancers and electrifying their bloodstreams with energy. Coach Hilson looked on his team and nodded approvingly, his eyes lingering on Brandon and his increadible feet. If there was anyone who could pull off any degree of advanced footwork in this whole team, it was him.

The team had just begun to really get into their routine when the stereo cut off abruptly. Everyone groaned and sent dirty looks to the brand new piece of equipment that the school had provided for them the previous week since the old one had mysteriously been pummeled to pieces sometime overnight. As Brandon took a closer look at it, he noticed a parallel set of lines that ran only two small inches. One was red and the other was black, a little obvious against the silver skin of the CD player. He just took a deep breath and walked away, refusing to think of the matter anymore than he had to. Still, he couldn't help but wonder, _He said he was done with us, but he is known for lying. It couldn't be, could it?_

Coach Hilson, greatly annoyed, walked over to the broken stereo and sighed. This was the third one and two had seemed to have some kind of internal problem, for the outside looked perfectly fine. He curled a fist and pounded the lid once. Still nothing.

He turned to the rest of the team who had wondered over and groaned "There goes another one, guys. Sorry, but we can't practice the routine without the song."

As he watched the rest of the team roll their eyes and slump their shoulders in disappointment, Brandon stepped forward and announced "Wait, I think I still have my iPod dock in my car. Do you think that'll work?"

"How's the volume? You know the echo gets pretty crazy in here."

Brandon shrugged "We can just borrow a mic from the music room. I don't see how it couldn't work."

The coach nodded and said "Alright, hurry up. Mike, go ask for a microphone from the music room."

The two boys ran out and were back in less than three minutes. Brandon plugged in the speakers and microphone, moving them out to the floor as far as he could. He positioned the mic directly in front of the speakers and switched it on. He clicked on the dock, plugged in the iPod, and tried out the song. It was a little cloudy, but the team approved of the sound quality.

The coach clapped his hands and called "Okay, let's get back to work! Competition's only two months away and we have five dances to work on! 5,6,7,8!"

After ten minutes and three times that the mic had rolled away from the speakers, the team seemed liable for a break out of frustration. They all went their separate ways across the gym while the pack of four friends, Brandon, Michael, Todd, and Drew, huddled up on the bleachers for the five minutes of rest.

Drew rolled his eyes "Dude, what's up with the whole stereo crap? It's like someone keeps breaking into our supply room to mess with the wires."

Brandon had to bite his tongue and chug down half of his water bottle to restrain himself from mentioning anything about his previous stalker. He kept his eyes on the floor and let his leg bounce up and down, a nervous habit of his that Mike didn't ignore.

"Brandon, you okay?"

Brandon's head snapped up, which made Mike even more sure that his best friend wasn't paying attention to their conversation. "Fine, why?"

"Your leg."

Brandon looked down and mentally groaned when he found his leg still hopping unconsciously. He nailed it to the floor and dug his elbow into his knee, forcing it to a stop. "What about it?"

Mike shook his head and sighed "Never mind. Did you hear about the West captain?"

"No, what about him?"

Mike began to answer him before Todd cut in and exclaimed "Dude! I heard he snapped a guy's head off and got sent to jail! And then there was this one where he got an F on a test, tracked down the teacher's house, and set it on fire!"

Mike rolled his eyes and said "Todd, don't be ridiculous. All he did was get into a fight with a guy and got suspended for two weeks. He got kicked off the team."

"Are you serious?" Brandon's eyes grew two-times bigger at the news.

Mike nodded with a smile on his face. "Yeah, he put him in the hospital and the family might sue since he was the football coach's son and he'll be out for the rest of the season."

Todd finished off his water and mumbled "I still think he set that lady's house on fire…"

Without looking at him, Mike squirted the remainders of his water onto Todd's chest, which sent him off saying "Jeez, you never let me have any fun…"

Mike turned his attention back to Brandon and began again "I don't think they're going to be as strong without their original captain, so there's a bigger chance that we'll beat them this time at the competition."

"What's his name?"

Mike took a second to think before snapping his fingers in remembrance. "Robbie Henderson. I remember overhearing someone talking about him at the last East/West basketball game."

"There's no chance of him going back to the team?"

Mike shook his head "Nope, West is harsh. They're even stricter than the private schools downtown."

Brandon let out a low whistle. This took off a little of the pressure he was feeling as captain of the East team. Now that there was almost a zero percent chance of West beating them for the third year in a row, he could breathe a little easier without feeling that heaviness on his brain.

Brandon asked "How did he take it when he found out he couldn't compete?"

Mike shrugged "I don't know. All I heard was that he doesn't even have fun with it like we do. He just wants to win and make sure everything is perfect."

Todd came back around, imputing "I heard he jumped Mike for almost winning last year. You know he-"

Mike finally huffed "Todd! Everyone knows that never happened! He just tried to scare me with his eyes!"

Ignoring Michael, Todd sat back down beside Brandon and explained "Last year after we did our first dance, we were standing across from West and since the captains had to be in the front, Mike and Robbie were staring right at each other. I seriously thought that the dude was gonna run up to Mike and stab him in the stomach! You should've seen the look he was giving him! It was like watching you and Troy about to square off back when you were fighting."

While Mike slowly explained to Todd how big a load of bull-crap that his theory was, Brandon found himself drifting off again. No matter how much he told himself to forget about Brick and his farewell letter to them, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was just going to pop out of nowhere and take him next. He wouldn't show up to the competition, would he? Did he even know about it or when and where it was for that matter? Did he know that Isabelle was going to be there? He could easily swipe her if she was ever alone to go to the bathroom or if she forgot something in the car. He swallowed. Oh God, Isabelle…

"Dude, your leg's shaking again."

Brandon gulped again, finishing his water to try and stop the perspiration that he felt coming to his forehead. He tossed the bottle into the trash can and clapped twice. "Okay guys, let's get back to work!"

Mike's brow furrowed. He just told Brandon that there wasn't anything to worry about, so why was he so eager to cut their well-deserved break short and start up again? In all the years he's known Brandon, he's been one of the calmest people he's ever known, rarely taking anything too seriously. He shrugged. Maybe he was just missing Isabelle too much and needed something to get his mind off of her. He stood up and got in his position. Brandon was fine, he told himself, just paranoid.

--

_Tap, tap, tap!_

"Eek!"

Gabriella's homework shot out of her lap and flew like tornado debris around her, blocking her sight of the living room window. Her breathing hitched in her throat and her pulse quickened in her chest. Who was it; a thief, stalker…Brick?

"Ouch, mother of Hell!"

Gabriella got up from the living room couch and sprinted over to the window, lifting it quickly only to let out an enormous breath at the sight of a beautiful head of shaggy hair tangled in the rose bush.

"Troy, there's a door, you know!" She exclaimed while grabbing the flat part of the branch with one hand and using the other to comb Troy's hair out of the plant. "What are you trying to do, kill yourself?"

Troy climbed in the window using Gabriella's arm as leverage. "That's not sounding so bad right now. Oww, watch my shoulder!" His right shoulder blade was scratched as well as his jawbone down to the middle his neck and the back of his ear. The side of his head accidently bumped the windowsill, staining the white paint with a few drops of red.

When his body was almost fully inside the house, he shifted slightly forward, throwing Gabriella off balance and sending her backward toward the couch. Troy landed on top of her and quickly braced himself from completely crushing her under his weight. With their faces only inches apart, he grinned and whispered "On the other hand, I think I can spare a few more hours of my life."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and replied "We're in the living room, Troy."

Troy looked around and shrugged "I don't see anyone in here but us. Unless Sherlock's hiding somewhere, I don't see why we can't have a little déjà vu…" He leaned down and molded their lips together in a suggestive kiss, moving his way down her chin and eventually ending up on the base of her throat.

Gabriella bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, suddenly remembering why this was wrong beyond reason. "Babe, my mom and Brandon could come home at any moment. We have to stop."

His mouth never left her skin as he breathed "A little PDA never hurt anybody. We'll hear them come in." He maneuvered his hands from the seat of the couch to her hips and hooked his thumb on the side of her jeans, tugging them down by only a fraction of an inch but enough to make Gabriella grip his shoulders and moan softly.

Her ragged breathing got worse as their lips met again, this time in a tongue-tangling frenzy that ended up in Gabriella feeling Troy's chest and eventually finding the buttons of his shirt, which he borrowed from Brandon.

When the top was nothing more to them than a puddle of fabric on the floor, Troy fixed himself into a straddle, letting his hands slide up her tank top and ending at the base of her bra. His fingers teased her sweaty skin before he relocated to the hem of her top, pulling it halfway up her body, feeling his need for her growing and growing with each passing second. As her fingers tangled themselves in his hair, all he could think was-

"Oh my God!"

"What the hell?!"

The next thing Troy knew, he was being shoved off of the couch and his shirt was being thrown in his face. He sat up and blinked for a few seconds before his vision focused on the two figures standing motionless in the doorway, holding what seemed to be multiple plastic bags with the Giant logo printed on the front. Brandon and Gina were home from grocery shopping.

_Oh shit!_

Gabriella stood up, shirt pulled back down and hair smoothed back down slightly and pulled Troy up by his elbow. Still horrified by the realization that he and his girlfriend were caught almost having sex, he didn't see Brandon hiding behind his mother and start crying from laughing so hard. He set the bags down on the ground in fear of dropping and ruining them.

Gabriella held her hands in front of her and, looking down at the carpet, mumbled "H-hey, mom." She looked up under her long lashes to see Gina looking rather suspicious and embarrassed, a small grin on her face. Brandon was convulsing on the floor so hard it began to worry her.

Gina cleared her throat and quietly said "Hey yourself. Sorry we interrupted."

Gabriella just swallowed. "It's okay."

Gina slowly nodded twice, staring at Troy's naked, sweaty torso. His eyes quickly looked down at his jeans to check himself and he internally took a deep breath of relief. He thanked God that his excitement wasn't yet visually noticeable. Any later and…well Brandon didn't exactly need anything else to laugh about.

Gina sighed and then piped up "Well, we got enough food to last us for probably another two years. Gabby, can you help me put these away?" She raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

Gabriella gave an ashamed nod and murmured "Sure…" She flashed Troy a quick look and followed her mother out the door, leaving Troy and Brandon alone.

Troy stood in uncomfortable anticipation as Brandon eventually heaved himself off of the ground and steadied himself on the wall, taking a deep, reassuring breath. His eyes closed. Troy took that quick second to grab his shirt from the ground and begin making himself decent again.

Brandon looked over at him and started "You do realize that you were about to fornicate in my favorite shirt, right?"

Troy rolled his eyes, fastening the last two buttons . "Shut up, it was off. Who keeps their clothes on during sex?"

"Who has sex in their girlfriend's living room when her mom and brother will clearly be home any second? She did tell you that, right?"

Troy mumbled "Yes…" He nearly kicked himself for not listening to her warning sooner as he backed up and sat down on the couch, throwing his head in his hands. "I can't believe that just happened."

Brandon walked over to his best friend and took a seat beside him, looking over his flushed face and tussled hair. The window that he came through was still open and the rosebush was a little messed up, letting him know right away that Troy once again refused to come through the door for whatever reason. All laughter died inside of him as he seriously asked "She won't tell me. Has Gabriella been taking her birth control every day?"

Troy nodded. "She has an alarm set on her phone for 7:00 every day. She's got this under control, Brandon. She's a smart girl."

Brandon replied "I know, I'm just making sure. You know what happens if she skips a day."

"Health class isn't just for the hell of it, dude."

"Health won't stop her from getting pregnant."

"I know. Her common sense will."

"Both of yours will. Is yours in check?"

Troy huffed "Yes, Brandon, we're fine. We've got this down, okay? We're being careful and safe."

"Good. Because you know what I'd have to do to you if you make a mistake."

Troy looked up at him and inwardly cringed. The look on Brandon's face would make even the meanest, most evil man back away from him. His glaring eyes were stone cold and authorized, his facial features hardened into what looked like a statue of the devil. He even looked like his father for a second. What he'd _have_ to do, not what he would choose to do. They were best friends as they both would admit, but Brandon was Gabriella's older brother first and he couldn't use he and Troy's friendship as an excuse not to punish him if he ever hurt Gabriella.

"Yeah, I know."

Brandon nodded and slowly let his guard down. He sighed "Look, Troy, you're my best friend and I love you. But Gabriella's my sister and I promised her when my dad left that I'd take his place if she ever got into situations like this. If she ever gets hurt, I'll be forced to forget about us and just see you as someone that made my little sister cry. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have, but I will if I have to. Do you understand?"

Troy nodded "Yeah. I get it."

Brandon added "I'll just say this much more. You know you'd do the same thing if anything happened between Isabelle and I. You would have to defend her if I ever showed her nothing less than the love and respect that she deserves. Remember last year when you first found out that we were together after I hit Gabriella? Family comes first."

"Of course it does. I'm not doubting that."

Brandon patted his shoulder. "Alright then. We've come to an understanding."

Troy said "They're lucky to have you to protect them. I don't think you realize how important you are to them and how safe they feel with you around."

Brandon smiled. "Touché. I'm always hearing stories from Izzy about how you'd fight off the guys while you were all on vacation."

Troy chuckled "Remember when you even pretended to be Gabby's boyfriend at the mall a few years ago? The guy wanted proof and told you guys to kiss."

Brandon blushed and answered "I was so confused when you came over and stopped it. I thought you'd have wanted us to embarrass ourselves."

Troy shrugged "I never hated you, remember? I did, however, get in tons of trouble with Wolf, I remember that part very clearly."

"Beat you shitless?"

Troy nodded "I had to skip school for the next two days because I was so sore. My mom was the only one who knew what really happened."

"What'd you tell your dad?"

Troy recalled "I told him some middle scholar hit me with his bike when I was walking home. That's how I got him to take me to the hospital without getting suspicious."

Brandon shook his head. "I still can't believe your mom let you handle that whole situation without her help. My mom would've had 911 called before I even got into how I got hurt."

Troy told him "No, she helped me out more than I thought she ever would. She called into the school when you broke my finger and Wolf still forced me to play football. That got him suspended for a week, remember?"

"How much trouble did you get in for that?"

"More than I want to remember."

Brandon lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Troy. No matter what anyone says, I'll always blame myself for what Wolf did to you."

"Why? Because his daughter was a total freak? It wasn't your-SHIT!!!"

Troy doubled over on the floor and held his temple with both hands, feeling the blood trickle between his fingers. He pried his eyes open just enough to see the baseball lying beneath him.

"Holy crap, what the hell was that?!" Brandon exclaimed, getting down on his knees to check out Troy's head wound. He picked up the ball in his hands and then looked over at the window, which he forgot was still open. "Are you okay?"

Troy nodded dizzily and groaned "Yeah, I'm alright. Can you go get me a wet paper towel?"

Brandon ran out of the room and was back in a flash, pressing the ice cold compress to his temple. "Those stupid kids must be playing ball again. How many times do we have to tell them that dyslectics shouldn't be playing sports that require coordination?"

Troy laughed a little, but stopped short when he realized that it made his head throb. "God, that was hard. Did they move closer or get a weight lifter to join their team?" His eyes widened. "Or maybe it was karma."

"Huh? Karma?"

Troy nodded "Didn't I say something about Samantha right before I got hit? It was like she was standing right there and threw it when I insulted her…"

Brandon lifted Troy to his feet and said "Dude, it hit you pretty hard. I think you're delusional."

Troy let his gaze stray to the window again, which Brandon was hurrying over to close. "Yeah, maybe…" But he didn't say what he was really thinking inside.

"_That couldn't have been a coincidence…"_

--

Gabriella rolled her eyes and groaned when she heard the knocking on her bedroom balcony doors. She strode over and unlocked them, letting the cool night air and her grinning boyfriend in. It was strange, even with four bandages on his upper region from the rosebush and the baseball, he still had the common decency to look this amazing.

"What do you want, Troy?" Gabriella giggled "I think you've suffered enough for one night."

Troy stepped forward once and grabbed her face, crushing his lips to hers. Gabriella's common sense suddenly flew away from her and allowed her to wrap her arms around the back of his head. Her fingers became lost in his hair while he lifted her legs to secure around his waist. He walked the short distance to her bed and threw both of their bodies down onto it, removing his shirt before she could even retort.

He separated them for one short second to whisper "I don't think so."

* * *

**Yeah, I know it's short, but I thought it was pretty funny lol. And I'm sure some of you older readers can relate to Troyella's latest predicament haha you know who you are.**

**And sorry for not really following the last chapter's Sneak at Next Chapter. It kinda got away from me when I got to writing this. But I'm running out of idea stalls for the upcoming drama, so it'll most likely come up next chapter. Promise!**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- Skip next few months (for real this time)**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**


	19. Champions

**It's best if you have time to read 16 pages of this story, sorry :/**

**Chapter 18 – Champions**

…2 MONTHS LATER…

Ten high schools, two hundred seniors, and nearly more than a thousand family members were the cause of all the commotion inside of the Albuquerque Stadium. Grandparents were daintily clapping and cheering for their grandparents who weren't yet visible on the floor, parents were sporting their respective school t-shirts and screaming at the top of their lungs for their off springs, siblings were hooting and hollering for their brothers, sisters, cousins, and any other member that they might have been there for. Even little children were bouncing in their seats in excitement, anticipation gliding through their systems as they waited for their first ever look at their siblings' hard work.

One group, East High supporters, that took up most of the tenth row nearest to the floor was probably the loudest in all of the huge room. The row started out with Zeke, Sharpay, Kelsi, and Jason holding up signs that read in huge bubble letters "EAST HIGH DOMINATION!!!" Beside them were Taylor and Ryan laughing at Chad, who was in a heated argument with a West High fan from halfway across the room. The second half was made up of Brooke, Isabelle, Troy, Gabriella, Gina, and Chase who were casually chatting with each other. Gabriella was talking to her mother, Troy was having a calm conversation with Chase, and Isabelle was filling Brooke in on some last minute info on Brandon, occasionally taking a break to scream things like "Go East High! I love you, Brandon Montez!"

Meanwhile, backstage things were pretty much in the same crazy atmosphere. As far as the eye could see, dancers were stretching, rehearsing some moves that they still weren't completely sure on, trying to psyche out other schools, and sharing their excitement with each other. They were all in their assigned uniforms, East High in their respective white and red sweats. Brandon was in his little circle of friends, chatting with Mike and Drew. After a few minutes, Drew looked up and pointed out that Todd was missing. The three looked around and finally caught him in a fierce argument with someone from the other schools. Brandon ran over to his heated friend and grabbed him by his arms, pulling him back away from the short student. He sighed. "Todd, how many times do we have to tell you that psyching people out won't work? They'll just come back with something stronger that gets in _your_ head, not theirs."

Todd crossed his arms and grumbled "It would've worked if you hadn't attacked me."

Brandon rolled his eyes and just slapped him on his shoulder, walking away back to Mike. "He'll be fine," he reported. "Just a little over-excited."

Mike shrugged and smiled. His excitement could also be seen plainly on his face like a book. His normally pale green eyes were now glowing ablaze like emeralds and his cheeks were flushed with anticipation. He was bouncing back and forth on his feet, trying to calm himself to save all of his extra energy for when it was finally their turn on the floor. "Who can blame him? I think I seriously might explode if we don't get going soon!"

Brandon chuckled and gave him a double high-five. "Just remember TNT. We can't lose if everyone remembers to have fun and not get too competitive."

"Got it, captain."

Just as Brandon was about to go over to the wall and look out at the audience, he felt a stinging sensation in his spine, running through his body like a sudden spark of fire. He spun his head around and scanned the area. Nothing too peculiar. It was probably just a case of the nerves finally getting to him. He looked back, but it happened again, only this time much stronger. He turned his whole body and pressed it against the wall, finally recognizing the feelings as being watched; glared at. Someone was trying to psyche _him_ out now. He gulped and ran his eyes through the crowd again and again, not finding anybody who looked murderous enough.

He felt a rapid tap on his shoulder, making him jump ten feet in the air and yell "Whoa!"

Drew's voice came after that. "Dude, calm down! You look like you're about to combust!" Brandon took a few deep breaths and blinked away the dryness of his eyes. He swallowed the little saliva that was in his parched mouth and breathed "Okay, I'm good. I just felt someone staring at my back."

Drew replied uneasily. "That's what I came over here to tell you. Look at West."

Brandon did as he was told, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. It was just the usual stretching, smack-talking to other teams, and mental warm ups with their iPods. "What about them?"

"Look behind the girl with the black shorts."

Brandon stretched his neck to peer behind the long haired brunette and gasped, jumping back into the wall.

There he was, just as scary as the stories Brandon had heard, but never believed. He believed them now. Robbie Keelson, captain of the West High Dance Team stood against the opposite wall, his huge, muscular arms crossed, one foot rested on the wall, and his tall 5'10" frame frozen against it. His arms were dressed in elbow-length tan gloves, cut off at the fingers and thumbs. It was now that Brandon realized that he had never seen him before but in his imagination when people had described him. His hair was a dirty blonde, a shade darker than Troy's, and his eyes…well Brandon couldn't exactly judge what color they were. He was too busy getting lost in their massive bonfire, like the hate was just rolling off of him in tidal waves. His fists were curled, like he was about to leap over to Brandon, rip his legs off, and watch him bleed out on the floor. He never blinked, which made Brandon even more nervous. Was this guy even human? How could someone carry such passionate hate in their eyes like that? And why was it hitting him so hard? Wasn't he the one who was just giving out advice to Todd about this?

"Robbie!" a deep, commanding voice boomed from the far corner. Robbie didn't move for a second, but his eyes dimmed down a little, letting Brandon out of their steel iron grip. Brandon blinked away the excess shock that had taken over his body and sucked in his first breath in half a minute. Robbie looked to the floor and then back up before slipping away into the crowd. Brandon caught his eyes as a deep forest green. A forest that had just had a fire put out. The hate had been replaced with something. Pain?

He slowly turned back to Drew and whispered light-headedly. "Found him…"

Drew nodded sympathetically, saying "Todd was right when he told you about him doing the same thing to Mike. That's how they win every year. He's their secret weapon."

Brandon gulped again and looked back over to the spot that Robbie had just been standing. He had left an almost visible trail of his eyes because Brandon had to immediately look away in fear of being caught and frozen again. He closed his eyes and shook his head to try and think clearly. He could do this. He had spent five years of his life giving and receiving looks that carried all of the hate that was inside of him. He should be used to this, right? He had spent so much time wondering why it all was happening to him, why he was being cursed with all of those glares. Now he finally thought _"Thank you, Wolf, for actually helping me."_He was fine.

He grabbed another water bottle from the refreshment table and downed it in less than fifteen seconds. He wiped his mouth with a shaking hand and sat down on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest.

Five minutes later, all of the teams were ordered to line up in their rehearsed lines behind the curtained wall. East High was the third in line with West, thankfully, two rows behind them. Brandon could still feel the skin on his back being burned off of his bones, but tried his best to ignore it when he faintly caught wind of Isabelle's voice from the crowd outside.

The announcer welcomed everyone to the competition and guaranteed them all an amazing time watching the schools dance. He started calling the teams to the floor and they all did their introductory dances, pumping up the crowd for their specific turns.

When he reached East, calling "And from Albuquerque, give it up for East High with coach John Hilson and captain Brandon Montez!", the team ran out to the floor with Todd leading them all with his specialty, jumping into flips and landing in a split. He jumped back up and got back in his place in the pyramid that had formed, giving Brandon that head spot that everyone looked at first. His eyes immediately went up to the fifth row, locking with Isabelle's and smiling when he saw her scream "I believe in you!" He mouthed back "I love you." After that, they all hurried off to the side to make room for the rest of the teams. Brandon watched each team enter, except for West. He hid his face in pretending to sneeze during their five second entry.

While the announcer was explaining the events that would take place during the competition, Brandon let his eyes wonder through his teammates and stopped when he got to Todd. He was staring at the front row at a woman that looked to be in her early forties with strawberry-blonde hair, Todd's blue-green eyes, and his smile dimples. She was grinning warmly at him and mouthing words of encouragement while Todd smiled back, his eyes extremely thankful. Brandon figured that this had to be his mother he was communicating with, even though he had never met her before. He looked to her left and right, but found an elderly black woman and a little Asian toddler that was hanging off of his father's shoulder. Brandon frowned. He knew that Todd's father was still alive and still together with his wife, so where was he? Surely he would come to watch his son living his dream.

The teams, all except one, were ordered to go backstage again and wait to be called. Brandon went up to Todd, who was warming up his body by doing handstands against the wall. He cocked his head to the side and said "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Todd quickly got back to his feet and let the blood drain from his face again. "What's up?"

Brandon suddenly felt that asking this was too personal and maybe Todd's dad didn't come for private reasons; reasons that Todd wouldn't exactly want to share with anyone else. _Oh well_, he thought, _you know it's going to bug you until you do ask._ "I saw you out there talking with your mom. Did your dad come?"

Todd's large eyes suddenly got darker, ashamed, and looked to the ground. He turned his back to Brandon and returned to stretching out his arms. "No, he's not coming."

"Oh." Brandon noticed the sudden change in the air and bit his lip, feeling a little awkward. Todd never got this quiet. "Did he get sick or-"

"No, he's fine," Todd cut him off, his voice dropping an octave. He still didn't turn around. "He's just not coming."

Brandon nearly punched himself in the stomach for asking his next one-word question. "Why?"

Todd's shoulders slumped and he inhaled, but didn't let it out. He leaned his hand against the wall for a few moments and finally let it slide off, turning back to Brandon. His eyes were misty and his jaw was locked, showing that he was having a hard time forming his answer. "It's nothing major. He just refuses to have anything to do with my dancing, that's it." He turned back to the wall and started stretching out his legs.

The booming music from the outside didn't block out the next word that left Brandon's mouth. "What?!"

"He thinks that any kind of dance is for girls or gay guys, so he gives no support or recognition whenever something about it comes up."

Brandon's mouth still didn't close. "Has he ever seen you? Has he ever even seen you flip? Dude, you're amazing!"

Todd shrugged. "He doesn't care. And the only time he's ever seen me flip is when I practice on our trampoline. I try to do it only when he's at work, but sometimes he catches me and grounds me."

"For doing something you love?"

Todd didn't answer the question. Instead, he just hissed "Shouldn't you be stretching like the rest of us?!"

Brandon recoiled like he'd just been slapped in the face. That was the first time that he'd ever seen Todd snap like that. He'd always been the silly, spirit-lifter that everyone loved hanging around, never having a care in the world. Even though Brandon couldn't see his face, he knew that he was about to cry. Todd was even more sensitive than him. He put up a good front, but Brandon used his special talent of reading his second layer of body language to figure out that he was about to break down.

"You're right," he finally whispered, stepping back away from him. "Sorry."

As he slumped back to his corner, Michael stopped him. "Everything okay?"

Brandon shrugged and lied "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little worried about Todd. I think I really pissed him off."

Mike rolled his eyes and groaned. "You didn't ask him about his dad, did you?"

Brandon gulped, sinking back into the wall. "How was I supposed to know the guy was sexist?"

Mike sighed. "You know, his mom's taking a big risk just being here. He's really old-fashioned, thinking that everyone that lives under his roof has to live by his rules. He doesn't let his wife work except at home. And if Todd ever brings up any interest in a girl at school or somewhere, he wants to meet them before the first date. I'm telling you, Brandon, the guy's a real hard-ass. And God knows what he'd do if he ever found out about the singing…"

"What singing?"

Mike froze for a second before slowly asking "Seriously, how clueless are you? You didn't know that Todd's real dream is to record a CD of songs he's been writing since he was 10?"

"Really?"

"What do you think he does in class when he's not listening? Why do you think he's in chorus and band aside from dance?"

Brandon let his head slam against the wooden wall, ignoring the throbbing pain that followed. "I really need to start hanging out with you guys more. How good is he?"

"I was over at his house one day and thought he had the TV playing some a cappella, but when I walked in he was just lying on his bed with his eyes closed with no electronics on. It was really incredible. You need to hear him sometime."

"Does his mom know all of this?"

Mike nodded and looked out the crack in the wall at the audience. "Everything. She was the one who secretly signed him up for gymnastics when he was little, the one who encouraged him to join this team, and she was the first one who ever heard his songs. They really aren't bad, by the way. We don't give him enough credit for how smart he can be."

Brandon raised an eyebrow. Todd, a singer? That was something he never thought he'd hear. But now that he thought about it, it did start to make some sense. "You think you'd know a guy after eleven years and then this…"

Mike laughed, patting Brandon's shoulder. "Don't worry. I only found out two months ago."

Brandon sighed and got to his feet, arching his back and cracking his knuckles. "I think we're next. Have you seen Coach?"

Mike looked around for a second before pointing to the far end of the room where the sound system was being plugged in. "He's giving the DJ our music. Thank God he finally remembered for once. We had to make an emergency one last year on my mom's laptop."

Brandon rolled his eyes. "That's Coach for you…"

Not even three minutes later, Brandon and the team were out on the darkened floor in their frozen positions, each one of them running on nothing but adrenaline alone and all sporting a dominant look on their faces. Everyone except Todd. Before they head out, Brandon gave a quick glance in his direction and groaned upon viewing the distraught, far-away look in his eyes and pulling down the corners of his mouth. He shouldn't be going out there looking like someone had just killed his dog. Brandon would have to apologize before they so much as set a foot backstage again.

Brandon shook the depressing thought from his mind as he heard them being introduced. "And now, make some noise for Albuquerque's East High!"

"Right Round" started from the multiple sound systems spread out around the arena and as the lyrics began, the boys jumped ahead from the human line and started twisting their hips around in a slow, sensual rhythm to the music. The girls followed them a few seconds later, copying their movements and receiving a few cat calls from the audience. Brandon looked up and had to use all of his effort to suppress a barking laugh when he saw the faces on all of his friends' and family's faces. His parents' faces were blank of all emotion, except he could see a little disbelief in his father's features. He hadn't seen his son dance since he was about eleven. The gang's eyes were wide and their open mouths were all pulled up a little at the edges. Brooke was nearly hyperventilating and whistling over and over, screaming "Oh yeah, baby!" He wasn't sure if she was excited for the boys or the girls, or maybe both, remembering Isabelle's story about her lifestyle. His eyes switched to Isabelle and his heart nearly melted. He could tell she was holding her breath, stunned by her boyfriend's sexy moves that left her limp. Her eyes were filled with the pride that he had been aiming for. After all, she was most of the reason he was up there in the first place.

After a round of back-breaking, but overwhelmingly stunning performing, the team soaked in the roaring applause from the onlookers. They'd been given a standing ovation, unlike the school before them. Brandon mentally shook his head when he saw Chad stand from his seat and turn to the student that he was arguing with before. He could see him mouth "Oh, what now?! Suck it!" Taylor grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to the bleacher, not being able to help herself and exploded into a fit of giggles. She said something to her secret boyfriend and he replied, making her peck him on the lips.

They ran backstage, screaming their heads off and congratulating each other on their extraordinary work. Even Todd looked more soulful. Brandon decided that he needed to talk to him as soon as possible if he wanted the newfound happiness to last.

He shushed the team and announced slowly "Professional MTV actors have absolutely _nothing_ on us if we perform like we just did for the rest of the day! We were phenomenal, guys! Keep it up and everyone else is going down!" He inhaled sharply when he felt the piercing daggers that were officially called Robbie's eyes stabbing into his back, but exhaled and ignored it when he caught a glimpse of Todd. He pushed through his teammates and grabbed his shoulder before he walked away. "Todd."

Todd turned and his eyes dimmed when he saw who was calling him. He didn't respond, crossing his arms over his chest childishly, but he didn't leave either. Brandon took that as an opportunity to continue.

"Listen, man, I just want to say I'm sorry for pushing you into talking about your dad. It was none of my business and I should've realized that earlier. Do you forgive me?"

Todd looked up at him with eyes that didn't change. They still kept the same angry, hesitant vibe. He took a deep breath before cracking a grin, holding out his hand. "Of course I do. I can't stay mad at you for something stupid."

Brandon took his hand and shook it, smiling. "It's not stupid. I was being nosy and I seriously need to work on it."

"Glad to see you finally realized that."

Just as he was about to reply, Brandon found himself being lurched forward and knocked into Todd. He took a few seconds to recollect himself before spinning around and finding nothing, no one close enough who could have bumped into him purposely. It had to be on purpose.

"What happened?" Todd asked, helping Brandon steady himself on his feet.

Brandon looked around for a few more seconds and whispered "I don't know. Someone shoved me."

"Who?"

Brandon took one last look toward the front wall where West now stood in their formation, Robbie in the back with his arms crossed. He hadn't realized that they'd been called up. Brandon took a closer look. Robbie's head was facing the ground, but his head was cocked a little to the right. Brandon held his breath when he found his eyes not-so-secretly watching him now, a hint of amusement tracing in the forest green fire, which was now blazing again and burning up all of Brandon's remaining restraint. He couldn't look away. Robbie was just so _angry_, so ferocious. What could have possibly happened in his life to make him hate someone he's never even met before?

"Hey! Brandon!" Todd snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face twice, bringing him back from his moment of fear.

"Huh?"

Todd repeated his previous assumption. "You think it could've been Keelson? He's looking at you like he did."

Brandon shrugged. "Maybe. Don't know." He pushed past Todd and headed back for his corner.

A half an hour later, East High was ready to go back out again to perform their second dance, which was a repeat of "Let it Rock".

Isabelle grabbed Brooke's arm and automatically started shrieking. "Oh my God, Brooke! I love this one! They did it at the school dance!"

Brooke bit her lip. "I don't know, Izzy, I'm not sure anything can top that last one."

Troy leaned around his cousin and told her "No, trust her on this. These guys are amazing with 'Let it Rock'."

When the dance was finished, Brooke stood up again and yelled "Okay, that was clearly the second sexiest thing I've ever seen in my life!"

"What's the first?" Gabriella asked.

Brooke gave her a sly grin. "Your brother." Isabelle just slapped her on the arm, smiling along with her.

The competition rolled on and with each dance, the crowd got even more and more anxious to find out who was going to win. They were all so stunning it was almost heartbreaking. Each one of them was in perfect sync with each other and yet they were still trying to outdo the perfection.

East had just finished their last dance of the night and as they were walking back, Brandon was tapped on the shoulder. He turned reluctantly, afraid that it might be Robbie finally ending the game and had come to kill him already, but instead he blinked. A slender blonde stood in front of him and from the look of his sweats, he must have belonged to Highland. He had a seductive grin on his face with what looked like shiny lip balm covering them. His hazel eyes were lined in dark eye liner and mascara along with black and white eye shadow. Brandon nearly jumped back. He knew exactly what was about to happen.

"Hey there." The teen greeted him. The sound of his nasally voice confirmed Brandon's assumption.

Brandon's eyes shifted. "…hi?" he finally replied.

The colorful boy in front of him placed a hand on his hip dramatically, looking over Brandon's built body slowly. "I saw you dancing out there," he said slowly. "looked pretty good. I especially like the…hip movement."

Brandon gulped for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day. Was this guy serious? Did he not see that Brandon was obviously going down the straight and narrow and not taking a U-turn? "Sorry, I'm taken."

"Oh, I know," He pointed a perfectly manicured finger up to the fifth row. "I've watched you stare at your boyfriend up there all day." He cocked his head to the side, seeming to deliberate for a second. "Eh, he's pretty cute. But not as mouthwatering as you."

Brandon nearly choked up the gallon and a half of water that he drank in the last hour as he watched Troy chat with Brooke. As calmly as he could without hyperventilating, he said "Troy? He's my best friend."

"Is that what you call yourselves? That's so cute."

Brandon shook his head. "See the blonde next to the girl beside him?"

The blonde looked up and grimaced. "What about her?"

Brandon tried to ignore the rude face and said "Listen for a second."

He huffed, rolled his eyes, and finally looked out at the crowd. Brooke was whispering something in Isabelle's ear, which made her roll her eyes and blush, but she stood up and screamed "I LOVE YOU, BRANDON MONTEZ!!!"

Brandon smiled and poked his head out from the wall, yelling back "LOVE YOU TOO, BABE!!!" Isabelle blew him a kiss.

Brandon faced the annoyed teen again and grinned. "You're a witness. Oh, and for the record," He pointed up to Troy and Gabriella, who were sharing a very passionate, loving kiss. When they separated, she rested her head in his chest, closing her tired eyes. "He's straight, too. Sorry." The boy rolled his eyes and stomped off in the other direction.

Drew came up to Brandon and grimaced. "Were you just talking to Andy Thompson?"

Brandon raised an eyebrow. "Was that his name?"

The dark-skinned dancer chuckled. "Yeah, he's been hitting on every single guy here. What'd he say to you?"

Brandon fought to keep the contents down in his stomach. "He thought that Troy was my boyfriend. Thank God he and Gabriella aren't ashamed of their PDA."

Drew laughed for a second before stopping short, sighing. "You idiot."

"Who?"

Drew pointed to the far corner of the room where Brandon had spent the dark patches of the day. He winced when his eyes fell upon Robbie's huge body and scorching eyes, which for once weren't focused on freezing Brandon. He was leaning his head against the wall in his signature position: arms crossed across his chest and his right foot crossed over his left. Andy was in front of him, gawking at his gloriously muscular body.

"Wait for it…" Drew slowly whispered, grinning with every word that left his mouth.

Then it happened and Drew grabbed Brandon's arm and dragged him backward a few paces, the smile of his face growing and growing. "This is gonna be good."

Robbie's eyes snapped open and his gaze immediately fell to the medium-sized boy in front of him. Andy wasn't afraid. He just simply grinned and placed his hand on his hip again, saying "Hey, cutie."

"3…2…" Drew counted down.

In the place of 1 came a loud shriek. Brandon blinked so he didn't see the action that changed the scene in front of him. One second Andy was trying to win over Robbie and the second, Robbie's hand created a strangling vice grip on Andy's thin neck. Andy's hands flew up to Robbie's huge hand and his mouth popped open, begging for air and a release. His legs were dangling beneath him, trying to find the ground but having no such luck.

The air left Brandon's lungs as he watched Robbie's hand tighten and his eyes zero in on Andy's, whose face was beginning to pale to a dangerous white. His trembling body was the obvious reason for the sudden silence in the room. Andy was struggling to get the minimum amount of blood to his brain in order to choke out "P-please…stop."

A West teammate, who was just a little smaller than Robbie, stepped forward and begged "Robbie, let him go! You're gonna get us disqualified!"

Robbie ignored him as his grip tightened even more, making Andy's eyes roll back into his head. Just as he was about to finish him off, the same adult, booming voice from before sounded through the room. "ROBERT!!!" the man screamed.

Robbie's eyes flashed over to the doorway in the side of the room, where a dark silhouette was standing. The man's fists were curled and his feet were spread apart, making his appearance even more intimidating with his tall frame. Brandon expected him to succeed as well as everyone else had, but when he looked back over to Robbie, he sucked in a sharp breath.

Robbie's hand was quickly loosening, letting Andy fall the two feet to the floor and begin gasping for air and letting the blood flow back into his face. The forest fire was history, leaving his usual green eyes darker than usual and giving them a brownish look. When Brandon took a closer look, he saw that some brown had actually leaked into them. His body was frozen with recognizable shock and fear while his mouth was open with the scream that he could not emit. Brandon and Drew had absolutely no idea what was happening, but it made their hearts come to a standstill.

"Get your ass over here NOW!!!" the man snarled, making Robbie chisel himself out of his shock and flinch away from him. He gulped and shakily dragged his feet over to the doorway, holding his hands in front of him. When he reached the doorway, his t-shirt was grabbed and he was pulled into the room. The door was slammed after the sharp tearing sound of the fabric.

The schools all looked around nervously at each other, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Andy was still writhing in agony on the ground with several of his teammates trying to help him up. When he seemed to have a hold on himself, the boy who first told Robbie to let him go ran over and asked "Hey, are you okay?"

Andy glared up at him. "Your friend's a freak! He should be sentenced to life in prison or killed!"

"I'm sorry about him. He just gets really agitated when things don't go his way and-"

"Has he always been this cynical?!" Andy screeched, stepping forward toward the West competitor. "Or did he just miraculously wake up one day and say to himself 'I think I'm going to kill someone today'?!"

The teen held up his hands defensively. "No, but you're not the first person that this happened to. I think it's best if you just don't talk to him anymore."

"Really?!" Andy sarcastically sneered. "You do know that as captain of Highland, I have full authority to-"

"Report this to your coach and get us disqualified, I know. Just calm down and think about this because I swear to you that this won't happen again."

"How can you be so sure?!"

He pointed to the door, where several loud, muffled screams were coming from and said "I think I can give you a reason. Just keep your mouth shut, please."

Andy glared at him for a second before looking back over to the door. A low thud cracked against the wall and the man's voice could barely be made out.

Andy huffed again and said "Fine. But if your little captain so much as looks at me again, I'll have his hard-ass out of here so fast he won't even have time to-"

"Everything okay back here?" Coach Hilson came from the front wall, standing beside Brandon and Drew. "I heard screaming."

Andy mumbled "Everything's fine."

Hilson made quick eye contact with Brandon, who just mouthed "Later." He nodded and announced "Okay, well, the captain dance is going to start in about five minutes. Is everyone here?"

Nine hands raised themselves into the air.

"Who's missing?" Hilson looked around before it dawned on him. "Where's Robbie Keelson?"

The door on the side wall flew open again and Robbie stumbled out, his face ashen and his t-shirt ripped open from his right shoulder to the top if the hem on his left side. His body was trembling, but he put up his shaking hand and stammered "R-right here."

"Are you okay?" Hilson looked him over, his eyes widening.

Robbie nodded and said "I tripped on my way back from the bathroom. I just need to go change my shirt."

The East coach raised an eyebrow, not buying it for a second. He refrained from asking him where his bruises were and replied. "Okay. Hurry up."

Robbie turned and reluctantly stepped through the door again, disappearing into the dark room.

A few minutes later, the ten captains were lined up on the darkened dance floor. Brandon was the last in the line beside and was standing beside the captain of Albuquerque High. Next to him was Andy and the line continued with Robbie on the end. Brandon silently thanked the heavens that he was the farthest away from him.

The announcer began introducing all of the captains. A spotlight was flashed in front of all of them in which they had to step into. When it was finally Brandon's turn, his eyes floated up to his support group and smiled widely at them. They were all on their feet, screaming and pumping their fists into the air. He just smiled when he saw his dad, who was giving him two thumbs up and nodding in approval. It was then that Brandon realized how much he had to win this. He had to show his father that he could sleep at night without worrying that his son was wasting his life away. Addiction ran in their family and Brandon had to prove that he was already taken.

The dancers got in their positions and waited for "Freeze" to start. When it did, Robbie was the first to move. West fans cheered as he did his short, tight dance for the few seconds before the next person in line took over for him. This continued until it got to Andy, who jumped forward, shook his hips in a feminine manner and pointed to Brandon with pure lust in his golden hazel eyes. Brandon flinched backward but felt comfort when he faintly heard Isabelle shout "Excuse me?!" Brooke followed with "Hell no!"

While the next person broke down into movement, Andy glared up at Isabelle and mouthed "Skank."

Isabelle's mouth dropped open. She threw her purse into Brooke's lap and screeched "Hell no! Hold my purse!"

Troy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back down, saying "Izzy, calm down. I'm sure Brandon will take care of it backstage."

She continued to growl under her breath and glower at the grinning teen. "Aren't gay guys supposed to be awesome?"

Brooke muttered "It's guys like that who give us bad names…"

Their spirits were lifted when Brandon exploded into perfect, sharp moves that sent everyone into applause and had Isabelle yelling "I love you, sweetie!" He turned his head to Andy and raised an eyebrow as if to say "Told you." The blonde just rolled his eyes.

The performers continued dancing solo, together, and in pairs in some friendly competition, all the while soaking up their respective applause from their fans. Andy continued to try and hit on Brandon, making Isabelle more and more furious that this little piece of crap didn't get the point by now.

It seemed that Brandon wasn't the only one that Robbie had a negative effect on. Every time he looked up into the audience, Troy and Isabelle gasped at his intense green eyes, which never seemed to cool off and put out the blazing fire that they held. She scooted a little closer into her cousin every time she screamed Brandon's name, which seemed to trigger more and more of Robbie's anger. After a few minutes, Isabelle just stopped cheering altogether.

The song ended, and every person was on their feet, congratulating the hard-labored efforts that their friends or family had just expressed. Isabelle and Troy got up the courage to cheer again at the end, trying their best to ignore Robbie who they could feel boring holes into their skin.

The captains spread apart to make way for the rest of their teammates. After a few seconds of allowing some patting on the back, the announcer ordered everyone to calm down and let the judges deliberate. Brandon dared his eyes to drift over to Robbie to see if he was trying to get in his head again, but instead blinked in surprise. The look on his face brought back a strong sense of déjà vu to the day that he and Troy had had their first fist fight. His face, chalky white and terrified, his chest rising a falling at a rapid rate, and his eyes holding a dark secret that Brandon wasn't sure he wanted to know. His lips were moving, most likely talking to himself. He forced his eyes to look away, not being able to handle the memory that he wanted to banish forever.

The head judge finally cleared his throat and spoke into the mic. "We've come to a decision." Robbie flinched and slammed his eyes shut. Brandon pretended that he didn't notice. "The five teams that made it to the national championships are…Highland High."

Andy led his team into the spotlight, all the while jumping up and down like a teenage girl who just bought the perfect prom dress. Brandon rolled his eyes.

"…Albuquerque High…"

"Cibola High…"

"Valley High…and finally, the first place winners are…"

Brandon and Mike's breath hitched in their throats. _Oh no_, they both thought doubtfully. _Not again, not West…_

Robbie let out the breath that he had been holding for a while and threw his head back, breathing "Yes. Thank you…"

The gang up in the stands all gasped and groaned, predicting what the outcome was going to be. West had won for the past three years with Robbie as their captain and no matter who was the head of all the other teams, no one could change that. Robbie was the best. Everyone knew it. Nobody questioned it. Their spirits were dropped before the obvious answer was even spoken.

"East High."

_Say what now?!_

Brandon's eyes widened as the screaming started from his friends around him. Todd came running up to him and screaming "DUDE!!! WE WON!!!"

Brandon was frozen in his footsteps, the adrenaline not yet starting up. They won?

A strong blow came on his shoulder, knocking him out of his shock and off of his feet. He fell to the floor and looked up at Mike who was already helping him back up and heard him shout "Go! Go get the trophy!"

Brandon felt his lips stretch to his ears and his breath come out in short, almost laugh-like huffs. They won. They actually won.

He scrambled over to the judging table and let his fingers close around the huge 4', shiny gold dance trophy with a noticeable 1 at the top. The lump grew in his throat as he raised it over his head and screamed his lungs out like everyone else. His team grabbed him by the legs and hoisted him up in the air to sit on their shoulders, screaming along with him. The East supporters up in the audience sprang out of their seats and roared with thunder, forcing the floor into vibration. There was also a little clapping from the other schools, except West who were sulking with disappointment. That was when everyone realized that East had the widest fan base.

The captains of the schools all came to shake each other's hands, congratulating the ones in the top five. Brandon politely obliged to everyone's handshakes except Andy, who he just gave a thumbs up to when the blonde went to shake his hand. Andy just winked at him and skipped off to go meet up with his team.

Brandon gulped when he realized that he had only shook eight hands, meaning that he was missing someone in particular. He let his head twist to look at Robbie, who was staring straight ahead at a face in the audience. He suddenly winced and his mouth fell open before he shut his eyes and took a shaky breath. Brandon felt a strange feeling of guilt for him. But it wasn't enough to overpower the incredible feeling of finally leading his team to victory against them. So they lost one year, big whoop. Didn't he have three other years that he could feed off of?

That last thought have Brandon the courage to stroll over to the large brick wall and hold out his hand, saying "You did a great job."

Robbie's eyes snapped open and the muddy woods that had resided in them before focused in on Brandon's outstretched hand, using his skin as the fuel to set off the bonfire again. His lazy gloved fists curled into trembling fists and his mouth clamped shut, locking his teeth together. He just simply stared at Brandon's hand, which was shrinking back towards him followed by his whole body back to his team. Robbie finally looked up and captured Brandon's eyes into the fires of hell, making him stop for a second before using his remaining strength to turn his body and run for his life back to his friends.

When he stopped to catch his breath, he turned his head to see if Robbie was still glowering at him, but saw that he was nowhere to be found. He stood up straight and took a deep breath of relief. That experience was definitely going on his top five list of his life's scariest moments.

His trembling energy was quickly translated into a smile when he was called up to join his coach in the winning speech. Hilson had just gotten done telling everyone how hard the team had worked and how badly they deserved this spot in the nationals list. He stepped back and let Brandon speak.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled. "My body's here but I think my mind's still reeling on the moment right before we won." He paused for everyone to get a quick laugh. "I just wanted to thank my team for voting me captain again after just one day of rejoining the team. You may have heard that EHS is crazy, but it's people like us that give it our good name. And thanks to all the parents who have been so patient with your kids and supported all of their hard work. Now you see why we were so stressed out these past few months. We wanted to overtake all of these amazing schools, who by the way, should get a trophy just for trying so hard. And I'll just be a little conceited right now; if you're in my group just get up and scream for your school."

The gang got to their feet again and followed orders, waving the domination sign back and forth excitedly.

"Those guys are the reason that I stuck with this for so long. My parents, my sister, my best friend, and the biggest reason-basically the whole reason for my existence-my girlfriend, Isabelle Johnson. I love you, babe."

Despite her red-hot cheeks, Isabelle yelled back "I love you too, sweetie!"

Brandon smiled back. "Thanks again for coming! You guys are amazing!" There was another round of applause for the winning school as the teams all filed back backstage, leading themselves to go get their things. While walking out, Brandon heard someone say "Any sign of him yet?"

"Nope," someone else replied. "He just disappeared. But who can blame him? I mean, his dad's gonna kill him for losing. I'm not surprised, actually. I would've run away too if I were in his situation. Did you see that look he was giving Montez?"

Brandon pretended to be looking for something in his gym bag as he eavesdropped intently on their conversation. He had a sinking feeling in his gut that told him who they were talking about.

"Yeah. Bless Brandon's heart that he had the guts to go over there and try to shake his hand. Oh well. I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere."

Brandon thought about what he had just heard for a second. Robbie ran away? Because of his dad? It made no sense. Why would a huge, bad-ass like Robbie be afraid of his father? And why would his father kill him after losing after trying his very hardest against nine other talented schools? Surely he wasn't that drunk off of their previous victories. He finally shook it from his mind, feeling the depressing thoughts give his happiness some claustrophobia in his brain.

After heading back out to the dance floor and seeing the flood of people that had formed to come pick up their kids, Brandon stood on his toes and looked around for his group. How hard could it be to find thirteen people with a sign?

"BRANDON!!!"

He whizzed around and cracked a grin when he found his friends and family staring at him with excitement and pride. Gina ran over and buried him in a huge bear hug, crying "Oh, sweetie! I'm so proud of you!"

Brandon chuckled. "Thanks, mom." Chase then emerged behind Gina and smiled down at his son, hugging him as well. "Well I'll be damned. I forget how amazing you were."

Brandon patted his father's back and sighed. "It's okay, dad. You saw me at my best this time."

His heart just about broke through his ribcage when he heard his favorite sound in the entire world. "Where is he?!" Isabelle's voice sounded through the crowd, who was shrill but her voice was the only one that Brandon heard from then on out. "Where's-BRANDON!!!"

"Izzy…" He simply said, letting his bag fall to the ground to prepare for what he knew was about to happen.

She violently shoved through everyone until she could leap onto her boyfriend, wrapping her legs around his waist and throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh my God, Brandon, you were incredible! Better than last time!"

Brandon rested his chin on her shoulder, hugging her with all of his strength as well. "It was all for you, you know that, right?"

Isabelle faced him for a second, raising an eyebrow. "Stop lying. You do it for more people than me."

"You're a huge majority."

She smiled warmly and, cupping his face in her small hands, pressed her lips to his lovingly. "I missed you…"

"Missed you more…" he replied into her mouth, drawing small circles on her back with his thumb.

"Whoa!" A voice that feigned authority came thundering behind Isabelle, unwrapping her legs from Brandon's torso and placing them back on the ground. "Izzy, didn't I advise you to control yourself until I met your significant other?"

Isabelle rolled her eyes, moving her arms to hug Brandon's abs. "Sorry, Brooke. This is officially Brandon Montez. Brandon, this is my best friend, Brooke Underwood."

Brandon blinked a few times when it dawned on him that he had never seen Brooke before, not even in a picture even though Isabelle always talked about her. She was just about what you would call short, probably 5' 6" in height with tanned olive skin. Her brown hair was a little past her shoulders with dyed blonde highlights all over the place. Her eyes were a strange combination of brown and green, nothing like Robbie's, framed with long eyelashes and heavy eyeliner. The sparkle in her eyes brought back the memory of Isabelle telling him that she used to be closed off and shy. The shining light looked like it had been there since birth. He couldn't imagine her ever being timid.

"Hey, Brooke, what's u-"

It caught him off guard so fast, he didn't have time to process what was going on. His back was quickly shoved against the wall and his face was cradled in Brooke's soft hands. But he couldn't ask what the hell was going on; Brooke's lips on his shot all possibility of that idea.

When she pulled back a few seconds later, she wiped her mouth and grinned over at Isabelle, who was rolling her eyes and mumbling "So?"

Brooke shrugged. "Wow. He's a good kisser even when he's not kissing back. You're good."

Isabelle giggled sarcastically. "Didn't really need confirmation, but thank you."

Brandon was still frozen back against the wall. "Would someone like to inform me what the hell just happened?"

Isabelle explained. "Sorry about that. When my boyfriend cheated on me a few years ago, Brooke thought up a great idea," he could hear the friendly sarcasm in her voice again. "Whenever I agreed to go out with someone, she would be the first person that they would meet and before they could get a good look at her face, she would kiss them. If they kissed back, there was a chance that they would cheat on me. So since you didn't kiss back, she thinks there's no possibility that you would ever see someone else while I was gone. Does that make any sense to you?"

Brandon raised an eyebrow. "I don't think anything makes sense right now; I'm still trying to wear off the shock."

Brooke beamed. "Even better!" When his gaze didn't let up, she laughed. "Don't worry, it won't happen again. I'm not a total whore."

"Good to know."

Mike pushed through the hoards of people to get to Brandon, Amy hanging onto his arm with a bright smile on her face. "Good job, Brandon," she said, giving him a hug. "You were great."

Brandon grinned back. "Thanks, Amy. Glad you all liked it." He looked over her shoulder at Mike and said "Hey, are you leaving already?"

Mike nodded. "Yup, Coach is taking us all out to dinner, his treat. You coming?"

Brandon looked down at Isabelle and his father. He shook his head. "Nah, I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow for the party. Have fun."

Mike shrugged. "Kay. I'll tell them. See you later."

"Bye, dude."

Troy and Gabriella came through the people and smiled widely when they saw Brandon. Gabriella hugged him tightly and squealed "Amazing, Brandon, simply perfect! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Gabs." She stepped aside and let he and Troy do their special handshake. "You were seriously really awesome, dude. Great job."

"Thanks, Troy."

Chase loudly stated over the group. "We better get going and beat the traffic rush. We're all meeting over at Gina's?"

Everyone nodded and began to walk out of the building, but were stopped by a tight ball of people looking out of the huge side window that made up the left wall. Brandon and Isabelle, hand in hand, excused themselves from their friends and ran over to see what all the commotion was about. Brandon asked "What's going on?"

A woman who looked like a West parent, told him "Someone called an ambulance and it just got here. Looks like they're headed for the back room backstage."

Brandon and Isabelle gave a quick look to each other before she urged "Go see what it is. We'll wait out here."

Brandon took off in the other direction and ran back to the arena. A cluster of people were just beginning to form around the door, so he sleekly slid past them and into the backstage room, seeing paramedics rush in with a stretcher and commanding people out of the way. He hurried over to Mike and Todd and demanded "What happened?"

Todd shrugged. "Not sure. We were back here about to head out when we heard someone screaming for someone to call 911. They just got here."

Mike added to that. "There were only about five people that got in there and they said that there was tons of blood in the men's bathroom. Someone probably slipped or something."

A few moments later, the paramedics reappeared through the door with the body on the stretcher, a sheet pulled up to right below his paling neck. A breathing mask was covering most of his face, so Brandon didn't exactly get a good look at his face, but he could see that whoever it was must have been an adult, for their muscular body was beyond most of the teens that he had seen that day. He was proven wrong when he saw a few members of West coming from the door as well, all looking deathly afraid of what might happen to the man on the stretcher.

A hand fell out of the sheet. Brandon barely caught sight of the ivory cut off glove that covered his pale skin.

Brandon just barely heard what they were saying above all the noise. "I found him on the floor of a bathroom stall with the knife in his hand and his head on the floor. The blood was running about a foot and a half out of the door; that's how I found him. Has anyone told his dad yet?"

His teammate shook his head. "No, but I don't think it really matters. I doubt he'll care since we lost, anyway. I'm surprised no one looked for him in the bathroom before when he first went missing."

That was all Brandon needed to hear before he ran out of the room and back to his friends. He couldn't stand to hear anymore about the obvious suicide attempt. Not when he was so happy. He flashed a semi-fake smile when he returned to his family again, feeling most of that happiness returning back to him. But when he blinked, all he could feel was fear at the blazing forest fire that he was staring into, watching melt into a bloody mess…

**I was having trouble falling asleep last night and just started letting my mind wonder and I thought: "Wouldn't it be awesome if GFN/HM got turned into movies?" So I started thinking of actors who could play the characters other than the ones who already do. So I'm just wondering:**

**Who would you choose to play who if these stories were turned into movies? Here's a list of all the characters in the stories so far:**

**Troy**  
**Gabriella**  
**Brandon**  
**Chad**  
**Taylor**  
**Sharpay**  
**Zeke**  
**Jason**  
**Ryan**  
**Michael**  
**Todd**  
**Drew**  
**Gina**  
**Chase**  
**Brick**  
**Coach Wolf**  
**Lucy**  
**Jack**  
**Isabelle**  
**Sarah**  
**Darbus**  
**Amy  
Robbie**

**You don't have to do this and you don't even have to cast everyone. It's just something that I thought would be fun :)**


	20. First Announcements

**I found it kind of ironic how I named this chapter right before Kevin Jonas said that he was getting married…weird…but YAY!!! Congrats, dude! Lol, he deserves to be happy…**

* * *

**Chapter 19 – First Announcements**

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

JANUARY

**FEBRUARY**

The months sped ahead in a rush, taking the gang along for the ride. The events that occurred during that four-month time span were just the typical actions of high school seniors, some more important than others, but they were still normal. Brick seemed to be the last person on their minds as they went on and lived their lives, the way they were after Troy and Brandon became friends again and before the whole Brick fiasco started in the first place. All was well...

Except for one couple.

"Chad, this is stupid."

"Maybe, but it's the only thing that I can think of that won't get their attention."

Chad and Taylor were still laying low about their relationship. She had been keeping her end of the deal and had been sulking around the house, keeping her façade up and hoping that it would convince her parents that she was truly depressed and not in any kind of denial. So far, there's been no such luck in finding an opening in her parents' state of mind. She had been lying to her parents about being at Gabriella's or Sharpay's during the night when she was really with her boyfriend, sharing romantic dates or actually hanging out with their friends. They made sure to stay out of the public eye, just in case the McKessie's happened to show up somewhere. They kept up that paranoia at all times. They had to. Otherwise, Taylor would be grounded for life and Chad would be locked up behind bars for domestic assault.

Now, more than ever, they were starting to feel the pressure of a secret relationship. Chad's stupid Romeo and Juliet comparison sounded off in her head for what seemed to be the millionth time since it was spoken. This was far, far off from anything Romeo would have suggested to his girlfriend. Probably because Romeo wasn't as big of an idiot as Taylor's.

"Why didn't you just follow our set up and let me do all of the thinking, you idiot?" Taylor scolded him, "Get down from there!"

Chad shook his head and his eyes widened when the action had caused the flimsy tree branch he was standing on to tremble dangerously. He gulped when he heard a sharp crack underneath him and held on tighter to the heavier, more supportive branch above him. Taylor's parents had unfortunately decided to stay home tonight and were watching a movie down in the living room. Chad figured that there was no way to get Taylor out of the house without them seeing him, so he went for Troy's usual way into a house. Not by the door. By any other way that he could think of that would usually ended up in someone getting killed.

Taylor huffed, frustrated. "At least get in before you become molded to my sidewalk."

"Good idea," Chad took a deep breath and, squeezing his eyes shut, lifted himself off of the tiny branch, letting it crash to the ground beneath him and crack into tiny little splinters. He knew it would be a useful tool in killing him if he made a mistake and let go of the heavy branch. Slowly at first, and then picking up speed, he rocked himself back and forth before lurching forward toward the small window.

"No, Chad, don't!"

But it was too late. He had let go of the tree.

His feet hit the side of the windowsill before his hands could grab a hold of anything. Taylor's body wasn't available because she had stiffed up and closed her eyes, a natural reaction of anyone's if their lover was about to fall two stories from a tree trying to be romantic.

But, somehow, Chad managed to grab the wooden ledge and hook his arm around it, giving him just enough leverage to hoist himself up off the side of the house and climb into Taylor's room. He quickly got to his feet and held his breath, listening for any movement downstairs. When he found himself in the clear, he breathed a quick sigh and grinned over at his fuming girlfriend. "See? I'm fine."

"You got lucky," Taylor growled, moving over to her brown bed and crossing her arms while she sat on the edge. "Don't ever do that again, understand?"

Chad smiled, hugging her shoulders and crooning "Aww, did I scare you?"

"Imagine yourself being chased by a wild bore, dangling off of the Empire State Building after eating a bunch of greasy fried chicken, and falling into a pack of hungry wolves all at the same time. Can you see that?"

Chad kept grinning. "Yeah, I'm sorry I scared you so bad."

"Me?" Taylor gave him a you've-got-to-be-crazy look. "That's how scared you're going to be if you ever try that crap again, got me?"

"Yes, ma'am…"

Taylor sighed and turned to him, setting her hand on his knee. "Chad, I'm sick of this. I mean, we've been running around my parents for six months now. It's getting old and extremely tiring. We have to do something about it."

"Like what? Tell them?"

After Taylor raised her eyebrows at him, he jumped off of the bed and raised his voice. "Are you crazy?!"

She pulled him back down. "Shh! They'll hear you!" After giving him a second to calm down, she continued. "You see, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I don't want to have to keep dodging these common bullets when they're around. It's not healthy for us. If we let it go on like this, it'll just get worse and worse and I don't want us to have to end it like this. Do you see what I'm saying?"

Chad's crestfallen face wasn't enough to change Taylor's mind, so he just groaned "Yeah, I get it. When do you want to tell them?"

"How about right now? They're already downstairs, so-"

"Taylor!"

Taylor gave him a stern look again, commanding "Chad, remember what I said."

Chad looked over at the door and gulped. "But can't we just wait a little bit-"

"Chad."

He sighed and took a few more deep breaths, finally saying "As long as you go first."

Taylor smiled and pecked him on the cheek, getting up with his hand intertwined in hers. She led them down the stairs with him practically quivering behind her and silently praying that her parents were sleeping. He could see it now, "Oh, Tay, we can't wake two very hardworking adults! Do you really think that they would allow us to be together if they're cranky?" Even he didn't believe that it would work.

Before he knew it, Taylor was clearing her throat. "Mom, dad, can we talk?" Chad had to bite down hard on his lip to keep the squeal inside his body. Taylor was hiding him behind the staircase wall, her hand still in his.

"Sure, sweetheart," Mr. McKessie paused the movie and looked up at his daughter, his arm still around his wife lovingly. "What's on your mind?"

Taylor tugged Chad from behind the wall and he stumbled into her body heavily. She would've fallen if it hadn't been for her feet planted into the ground determinedly.

Mr. McKessie jumped to his feet and glowered hard at Chad, leaving his wife just as furious. "What in the hell is he doing here?!" Chad whimpered and hid behind his girlfriend who just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Dad, calm down."

He stepped forward to Taylor and raised his voice even louder so that it retaliated off of the thick walls. "Young lady, how could you bring that…that..._monster_ into this house again?! How could you be so stupid?!" He turned to Mrs. McKessie and ordered "Linda, call the police!"

"No, mom, don't move!" Taylor's tone froze her mother's hands on the silver house phone. She turned back to her father and took a deep breath. "Dad, Chad and I are dating again. For the past six months, actually." Chad gulped as his stomach flipped around in his body, rising to his throat and then plummeting again into his pelvis.

The outraged man's face could only get redder and his fists curled tighter, his eyes fixed on Chad and no one else. Chad cowered away even more, gripping Taylor's arms and squeaking in fear.

Mr. McKessie growled "I want him out of here, Taylor. After he leaves, we're calling the police and having him shipped off to prison before you two have the chance to run off again, do you understand me? I will not allow my daughter to see some abusive street rat if I can have anything to do with it!"

"Street rat?" Chad mumbled absentmindedly. Mr. McKessie returned his heavy stare back to Chad to make him retreat behind Taylor's body.

Taylor shook her head. "No, dad. Chad's not going anywhere."

"Excuse me?"

Taylor repeated herself. "Chad's staying with me until a real issue tests our relationship and possibly breaks us up. I know what I'm doing, so you can just take a deep breath and keep your blood pressure down, okay?"

Mr. McKessie's veins were basically popping out of his forehead and his eyes nearly burst from his sockets. He spoke quickly and full of venom. "Who are you to be telling me what you will or will not do?! You are my daughter, Taylor! I forbid to you see him anymore! I won't allow you to get hurt to any further extent!"

Taylor grabbed Chad's hand and held it tightly, moving to the side to let his trembling frame into view. She kept her voice level. "I'll always be your daughter, dad, but right now, I'm your eighteen-year old daughter. I'm old enough to make my own decisions. You raised me, taught me right from wrong, and now you're not having any faith in your job. Is that right?"

Mr. McKessie didn't say anything. The softening of his eyes was what urged Taylor to continue.

"Dad, I have a boyfriend. One who treats me the way I should be treated."

"What about the bruises?" He finally spoke up, turning his head to look at Chad again. Taylor grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her again.

"Chad has never touched me."

"What?"

Taylor swallowed and dug through her brain quickly, trying to remember how to lie straight. Chad taught her a few tricks for when she desperately needed it, and he said something about it being a little harder in intimidating situations. She never believed him until now. "Chad didn't give me these bruises. He never left a mark on me, ever. Those marks are from my gym class." She could almost sense the proud, satisfied grin that Chad was trying to suppress behind her.

"What about gym class?"

The more she said, the easier Taylor found it to lie. No wonder Chad was so good at it. His words ran over in her head repeatedly: "Just keep it simple. The more complicated it is, the more you'll have to lie later to cover up the first one you told. Don't forget what you said because they might go back to an earlier question and see if they get the same answer…" "We were in our gymnastics unit and I was partnered up with the biggest klutz ever. She was learning how to do a cartwheel and I had to spot her. She almost had it down when she tripped and grabbed onto my arms for support, then knocked us both into the bleachers. That's where I got the bruises on my back from."

"A girl, you said?" He eyed the recovered skin on his daughter's arms as he remembered the massive handprints that had once marked them.

"She's on some medication that caused a huge growth spurt. She has hands as big as Chad's." She held up his left hand as an example. Chad snapped it back after the few seconds that he assumed Mr. McKessie needed to inspect it.

He pursed his lips, thinking through his daughter's words carefully. Mrs. McKessie still had the phone in her hands and was switching her eyes back and forth between her husband and her daughter.

Mr. McKessie sighed and straightened out his back. He glared at Chad again and mumbled "You know that I don't like you, right?"

Chad nodded sharply, still cowering behind his girlfriend. Taylor just rolled her eyes.

Mr. McKessie continued "So if you ever do hurt her in the future, I will not hesitate to end your short life, do you understand me, Danforth?"

"Y-yes, sir." Chad gulped.

He looked back at Taylor, who was grinning slightly. He sighed. "Fine. Your relationship is tolerable to us. But I meant what I said, Taylor. You know that I'm a very straightforward man and I'm telling you, I'm not hoping that this works out."

Taylor had to stop her eyes from showing her annoyance. "I know, dad. But I'm telling you that I'm the happiest I've ever been with Chad. He takes care of me."

"He doesn't seem to show it," He scowled at Chad. "Stand up straight, boy, you look like a little girl." Chad followed orders, but didn't get rid of the stone-cold fear in his eyes. He didn't trust the large man in front of him enough to let his guard down yet.

Mr. McKessie walked back to his wife and started the movie back up again, saying "Now leave before I change my mind."

Chad grabbed Taylor's hand and ran toward the front door, calling back "No problem. Come on, Taylor…"

The gang was ecstatic once they learned of the newly permissible couple's happiness. They had been getting sick and tired of having to change plans around to fit the annoying situation and keep them hidden as an item. Troy was even about ready to just walk right up to the McKessies' and blow their whole cover. Gabriella easily silenced him with a few convincing kisses to the neck, which led to an even further convincing Friday night.

This, however, wasn't the only major romantic event of the time. A month after the Bolton's had returned home from California, spending the weekend with the Johnsons' for Thanksgiving, and Brandon and Gabriella spent the holiday with their father's family, Isabelle's family came down to Albuquerque for the Christmas week off. The week was full of non-stop late nights, movies, sleepovers, and romantic dates. One date, in particular, probably had the most impact on the couple's relationship…

_Brandon and Isabelle shuffled along the grassy hill slowly that Christmas night, their hands permanently intertwined together just like they had been when they had their first date there. They traveled in a comfortable silence, each off in their own little daydreams of past times, most likely the first date that was settled on this special hill by the lake. Brandon, however, was a bit tenser and far deeper into his imagination, trying to come up with a way to say what he wanted to his girlfriend of nine months. His body eventually tensed and Isabelle stopped them in their tracks._

"_What's wrong?" she asked, squeezing his hand back._

_Brandon bit his lip and sighed. "Nothing. Everything's great. I was just wondering why this is so difficult."_

"_What is?" She cocked her head to the side with her eyes sparkling with curiosity and interest._

_Brandon looked down at her and grinned, letting a light chuckle escape his throat. Her sky blue hoodie really brought out her stunning big blue eyes and complimented her shiny blonde curls, falling down her back and shoulders. A hint of a smile pulled at her plump lips and clear cheeks. Still holding her hand, Brandon cupped her face with his free one and kissed her forehead lovingly. He then walked backward toward the bench behind them, where they had sat before they had their first kiss so long ago. He whispered "Come here."_

_He pulled her onto his lap and rested his head on her shoulder, stroking her arm and allowing her cheek to fall onto the top of his head. He started quietly. "How long have we been dating?"_

_Isabelle pursed her lips and thought back to the near-perfect night that they had shared together and officially pronounced themselves an item. She guessed "About eight or nine months. Why?"_

_Brandon took her hand in his again and looked up to meet her eyes. "Because I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I know that it hasn't been as long as some other couples, but they don't know how much I love you with everything I have in me. My heart and soul are yours, you know that, right?"_

_Blushing furiously, Isabelle nodded and smiled tenderly. "Of course. And I mean it every time I tell you that I love you. What's so difficult about that?"_

_Brandon took a deep breath and reached into his front pocket, taking out an almost invisible object that the darkness prohibited Isabelle from seeing._

_Brandon said "Isabelle, you're amazing. Every night when I'm about to fall asleep, I always wonder what I did to deserve such an incredible, passionate woman like you, especially in the time that we met. You saved me and pulled me through all of the hell I've been through since I met you, and I wanted to thank you for that. I hope that I get the privilege to spend the rest of my life with you."_

"_Brandon…"_

_Brandon shook his head. "No, calm down, this isn't what you think it is." He laughed again as he watched her relax. "I'm just saying that we know that we're in love and our friends and family know that we are." She nodded, urging him to continue. He looked down at the object in his hand and opened it, but then closed it again. Isabelle caught a quick flash of a shiny object inside the tiny box. Brandon sighed. "It's official in our minds, but I want it to be official to everyone else, too. I want to show people how serious we are about each other, so I took our conversation seriously."_

"_Which conversation?" Her stomach was in hysterics, flipping and jumping up and down from the idea that was infecting every thought running through her head. _

_Brandon grinned. "The one where we talked about forever. I can't really stop thinking about the future and all of the things that we can do when we're together, so…" He held the box up closer to Isabelle's line of vision and heard her breath hitch in her throat and watched her hand come up to her mouth. He opened it slowly, revealing the small matching blue and pink rings on the inside. Brandon finished "I promise that no matter what happens, I'll always be yours and you'll always be my one and only in the world. I love you and nothing – no one – will ever change that. No matter how much distance is put between us, I'll always be faithful to you and only you. You'll never be alone because I will always be here for you when things get hard and complicated. I love you, Isabelle. And if I could tell the world, I would, but I hope that these rings will become a head start."_

_Isabelle's hand was still firmly planted over her mouth to prevent the loud shriek that she wanted to scream. The rings were beautiful. The blue and pink diamond ovals were right beside each other, tilted to the side, with a small diamond on either side of them. The silver band was what made it personal; Brandon's name in elegant Edwardian script was printed to the left of the blue stone and Isabelle's was to the right of the pink one. They shone as bright as her tears. She looked back up into Brandon's serious, but caring eyes that was enough to make her tears escape. She let out a small sob and nodded, exclaiming "Yes! Oh my God, yes! Thank you, Brandon!"_

_Brandon, visually relieved, removed a ring from the box and placed it on Isabelle's fourth finger on her left hand, watching her hold out her hand in front of her face and whimper as she noticed that it was a perfect fit and seemed to complete the sight of her hand. She straddled Brandon's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, crying into his ear. "Brandon, it's perfect! I love it!"_

_Brandon stroked her back, replying "I'm glad you do. I saw it and knew that you had to have it."_

_Isabelle pulled away from him and grinned, reaching down to his lap where the box had been set down. She pulled the other ring from the box and grabbed Brandon's left hand. After finding his ring finger, she slipped the band onto it and kissed it, whispering "I promise to love you forever, no matter what happens." She hugged him again and fixed herself into a more comfortable position, slinging her legs to rest against the side of the bench but still curling up into her boyfriend. "I love you, Brandon. I really do."_

_Brandon leaned down and held her chin in his hand before finding her lips, muttering "Merry Christmas…"_

_When they got back to the house an hour later and told Troy, Gabriella, and his parents, Chase took a picture of their hands, simply explaining "Chad got Andy's number."_

Now it was Thursday, February 19th, and the gang walked into East High the way they did every day, not expecting anything out of the ordinary to pop up on the announcements that morning. But after the normal, boring events that no one cared about, smiles and shrieks were filled throughout the room because of this one special announcement:

"A date for the East High Senior Spring Fling Dance has been verified for Friday, March 20th in the gymnasium. The dance will last from 7 to 10 PM. Hope to see you all there and looking your best."

Brandon, Troy, and Gabriella all looked at each other in crazed excitement, their minds already going to work on plans and preparations for the night. Troy and Gabriella gave each other warm, loving smiles while Troy raised an eyebrow suggestively. Gabriella nodded and rolled her eyes as if saying "Well, duh!"

When school let out that day, Gabriella jumped on her brother's back and yelled in his ear "Brandon, I'm so excited! I can't wait for next month!"

Brandon laughed and maneuvered his head away from his sister's loud mouth and replied "Me neither, but I don't think that I'll have a chance to be if my hearing's blown out."

Gabriella once again rolled her eyes and felt a warm set of lips set on her neck while a strong pair of arms wrapped around her lower waist. Gabriella smirked and turned in his hold, kissing him and whispering "Sneak up on me again and I'll have to hurt you."

Troy kissed her again, harder this time. "God, I hope you do…"

"Dirty talk in front of your girlfriend's brother won't help you much, Bolton." Brandon sneered, pinching his best friend's arm. "Not unless you want to start dating your computer."

Troy grimaced. "Dude, cut the crap. You know I don't look at that stuff."

Brandon smiled sarcastically in agreement. "Good, because what will porn eventually do?"

"Come back to haunt you later."

"Good boy."

Gabriella shoved Brandon by his shoulder and glared up at him. "Brandon, how many times must I say this? Troy and I's sex life is none of your business. Butt out."

Brandon crossed his arms and retaliated with an evil grin. "I'll stay out of it when you stop making it my business."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know. Or do I have to call you again to remind you?"

Gabriella cringed away in disgust and annoyance. She knew exactly what he was referring to.

_A week ago, her and Troy had been exceptionally loud and just as they were about to get to the good part, Gabriella's phone rang. At first she ignored it, but the person just kept calling and calling back. She finally answered it with a sharp hiss._

_Brandon, on the other line, said "Can you two please keep it down? I'm trying to sleep over here."_

"_Brandon, I swear I will kill you if you do not hang up the phone _right now_!"_

"_Is that before or after you kill Troy, because I'm hearing lots of threats. I can come and stop you if it's going to get violent."_

_Gabriella growled and clenched her sweaty fists. "You have an hour to live! After that, I'm smothering you in your sleep!"_

"_If I can _get_ to sleep."_

"_Shut up!"_

"_Take your own advice!" After that, he hung up. Gabriella was true to her word and after covering herself in her robe, stomped over to her brother's bedroom and flattened a pillow over his face. After a few minutes of wrestling, Gina stopped their furious antics and confiscated the pillow from Brandon's hand. _

"_What's gotten into you two?"_

"_Brandon's eavesdropping on Troy and I!"_

"_Are you serious? You two were like wild animals over there! I couldn't sleep, mom!"_

"_Did you honestly have to _call_ me?!"_

"_I wasn't going to walk in on you two doing the wheelbarrow or something!"_

_Gina slapped a hand over both of their mouths and barked "Stop it right now! Gabriella, go back to your room and be sure to keep it down if you decide to go for round 2. Brandon, stay out of their business do _not_ call anybody anymore. You two are too old for this crap. Understand?"_

_Still glaring at each other, they muttered "Sorry, mom…"_

Gabriella hissed "Go to Hell, Brandon."

Brandon shrugged. "If you can keep your hands off of Troy, we'll go on that road trip someday. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go take my virgin self and ask my virgin girlfriend to Spring Fling. Excuse me." He pushed past his fuming twin and whipped out his cell phone, dialing Isabelle's speed dial number. When she picked up, he greeted her happily. "How's the most beautiful girl in the world doing today?"

Isabelle giggled, but then sighed. "Not great. Tori picked today to be the biggest bitch ever, Brooke's out sick, and to top it all off, it's raining cats and dogs and I walked to school this morning. How's it going with you?"

Brandon frowned glumly. "Crappy now that you told me all that. I don't want my baby suffering."

Isabelle smiled. "Sorry. I just need to get home get my hands on some comfort food."

"What if I told you that I've got something better than comfort food?"

Isabelle hesitated, then replied slowly. "I'd worriedly ask what you're up to."

Brandon leaned his head against his car door and grinned. "I'll give you a hint: Troy and I are going to be very busy tux shopping for Spring Fling next month." He finished off his sentence in a sing-song voice.

Isabelle yelped over the phone and quickly asked "Spring Fling?! Are you serious?!"

"That's right, Izzy. I'm hoping that Brooke gets better soon because you, little missy, are going to need a dress shopping partner."

Isabelle squealed and Brandon could hear all of the protests around her that she could care less about. "Brandon, that's amazing! I've never been to a Spring Fling dance before!"

"Never?"

"Nope! I've either been busy or sick. When is it?"

Brandon recalled "March 20th at 7. Nothing going on then, right?"

"Not that I know of! I'll be there, even if I do get sick!"

Brandon stopped himself from saying what he was really thinking. "Unless you're dying, because then I can miss it if that's the case."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Don't jinx anything. You guys are doing a routine, right?"

"Always do. We'll probably get started on it tomorrow.

"Awesome. So I'll see you next month?"

Brandon smiled widely. "Count on it. I can't wait."

"I love you, Brandon."

Brandon replied softly. "Love you too, sweetie. I have to go to work now, so I'll talk to you later."

"If my phone doesn't get ruined from all this rain," Isabelle joked, giggling. "Bye."

"Later, babe."

* * *

**There! Just a few more chapters before the drama begins! The happy chapters are running low, so appreciate them now if that's your thing :)**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**Trivia:**

**- The beginning of this chapter was inspired by the part in New Moon right after Edward left (you know what I mean if you read the book)**

**- I didn't base Chad's jump in the window on Jacob jumping in Bella's window in New Moon. I just noticed that right after it was written**

**- The link to Brandon and Isabelle's ring is in the Haunting Memories section on my profile (I photoshopped their names onto it)**


	21. Personal Space, Sherlock

**Here's another well-deserved long one...**

**Chapter 21 – Personal Space, Sherlock**

"Brandon, you ass!!! Get out!!!"

It was mayhem in the Montez house again, unrestricted panic due to Gina being at work that Tuesday afternoon. It was lunchtime at East High and Gabriella had stolen Troy and herself from the halls of the school, sneaking away in Troy's car back to Gabriella's for some well-needed, attempted privacy.

The thought of even _having_ to slip out was beyond anything that Gabriella's stressed nerves could handle all at once. Her anger was always triggered by one specific memory – or mistake – that Troy had created nearly six months ago. When he had opened his big mouth and told Brandon about them finally making love to each other for the first time. She just kept gritting her teeth at that. He _had_ to have known that this would happen eventually. Everyone knew that Brandon was one of the nosiest people in all of Albuquerque, even surpassing most of the snottiest teenage girls that lived in the highest, most spoiled of classes. It was what caused him to be extremely overprotective, which he promised to cut back on now that he and Troy were unofficial brothers again.

Truly they weren't _that_ close that they had to tell each other _everything_. It was like they had synchronized watches that they set so that they would breathe at the exact same time. Troy was the one who, since Wolf died, lived by the "rules are meant to be broken" line. And wasn't _he_ the one who had given Brandon his infamous nickname, Sherlock? The title was given an extension by Mike when they met in the same dance class at age seven, Sherlock Jackson due to the dance hero that they both shared. Although most of the time, it was just cut back to Sherlock.

The couple had entered the house noisily and oblivious to the walls around them. Troy had started carrying her in bridal style, but when the door was shut to lock out the world, they abandoned the little control that they still had in their systems and let their teenage hormones take over. It took them a few long minutes to finally reach her bedroom and as soon as they did, the clothes went flying so fast they had no time to become un-reusable for afterwards.

It all went by too fast for them to become satisfied: one second they were crying out each other's names in pleasure and the second, they were gently kissing in each other's arms, laughing about how angry they predicted Brandon to be when he realized they were gone.

"On a scale of one to ten," Gabriella giggled, running a hand through her unruly hair. "How high is the bar set on the level of cussing he'll do?"

Troy pursed his swollen lips for a second, rolling his eyes around to come up with a logical answer. "Twenty-five. Fifteen hells, seven shits, and three fucks. Maybe more than that; we'll need an air horn to keep it at least PG-13."

Gabriella was about to reply when the doorknob clicked open.

"Wrong," the third voice said "It should be at least up to forty-two."

Gabriella snatched the bed sheets to cover her exposed upper region and screamed "Brandon, you ass!!! Get out!!!"

Brandon crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the doorframe, glaring down at them with a sarcastic smirk. "Cutting school _and_ having sex in the same lunch period? Surely now you're just getting desperate."

Troy grabbed his boxers from the ground, slipped them on under the covers, and stomped over to his best friend. He shoved him out of the room by his shoulder and growled "Of course we are. You keep begging for a threesome."

Once the door was slammed shut, Troy turned around to see Gabriella almost half-dressed already, her eyes glassy with furious tears. He noted that she wasn't putting her socks back on; she was going into her closet and coming back out with her tallest, thinnest black stilettos. Afterwards, she was slipping on her chunkiest rings onto all of her fingers.

"Gabs, what are you doing?" Troy cautiously asked, taking a few slow steps to her.

"Get dressed," she barked, standing up and clicking her shoes together menacingly. "I'm going to need your help with this."

Troy sighed and leapt over to her, grabbing the last two rings from her small palm. "You don't want to do that."

Gabriella snatched his closed fist and tried to pry open his tight fingers. "He's gone too far this time, Troy! Following us home?! Who knows how long he's been out there eavesdropping!"

Troy moved his hand behind his back, even though Gabriella still hadn't managed to retrieve her weapons. Still calm, he rationally said "You're right, but that's still no excuse to rip his face off."

"If I do, he won't be able to spy anymore!"

"He'll still have ears to hear."

"Not if I take those first and shove them down his damn throat!"

"Oww," Brandon teased from the hallway.

Gabriella threw her fist against the door surface and screeched "Screw you, Brandon! When Troy lets me out, I'll murder you!"

"You mean when _you_ let _him_ out. Didn't you drag him over here to be your little slave, anyway?"

The heels left the floor as she hurled her body towards the door and prepared to break it down, but Troy caught her before she had the chance. She was completely horizontal, Troy's right arm holding her legs together and his left keeping up her torso. He told her to open the door and as soon as she did, he said to Brandon "Jump back."

He didn't have to be told twice when Gabriella growled and tried to punch him again, launching her ringed fist towards her brother's unmentionables. She wriggled and squirmed in Troy's arms and tried with all her might to push herself just a little more forward, trying to reach any of Brandon's body. He tiptoed a few steps up to his furious twin's fist limit, about a centimeter away from where she could touch him. Just as she was about to bulgingly hit her target, he lurched backward, chuckling furiously as the violent language was emitted from her throat.

"Watch it. I don't have enough sympathy to keep her like this for much longer."

Brandon rolled his eyes and raised his arms defensively. "I'm not asking you to," He turned to stare at Gabriella and smiled like a cobra, slow and sly. "From what I hear, she likes to play rough."

As he ignored Gabriella's increased struggles, Troy flashed Brandon a warning glare and shut the door in his face again, this time locking it tightly. He dropped Gabriella to her feet, shaking in her heels but still immobile with fury. Her jaw was wired shut like she was preventing herself from screaming in Troy's face, releasing her lava of anger all over his defenseless, calm exterior. He was still half-naked, only clad in his green and blue boxers. But Gabriella had no room in her red-tinted conscience to marvel at his gloriously sculpted torso; she was focusing all of her energy on not tearing off his legs so that he wouldn't follow her on the way to the door. Although, she didn't know if she would get the chance to try. He was holding her as tight as he was while they were in bed.

"Are you okay now?"

She didn't reply verbally. She just kept glaring at the door and heaving air from her nostrils to her lungs like a pissed-off bull.

"Gabriella," She finally looked up at her boyfriend who was giving her a very stern look. "Are you okay?"

Gabriella looked down at his chest and locked her jaw again, speaking through her teeth. "Yes…"

Troy took her chin in his hand and kissed her forehead, feeling her facial muscles relax a bit. "Are you sure?"

She shook her head. "Nope, not even a little."

He faced her again, smiling lightly. "Come on, it's not that bad."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Troy, he was violating our privacy! How could he stoop this low?"

"I know you're upset, but you have to do the healthy thing and calm down. It's not good for you to be holding in all of this anger and-"

"I don't _have_ to hold it in, you know."

"Gabby…"

She snorted and looked away from him. "Fine, I'll control myself."

"Good girl." A ghost of a smile pulled at the corners of Gabriella's mouth.

Troy grinned, taking her face in his hands again and laying a sweet kiss on her lips. "I'm going to get dressed. Can you go get my shirt without killing your brother?"

Gabriella scowled at the locked door and locked her jaw again. She could almost feel his body quivering from the severe laughing that he was still doing. She smirked when the picture changed. Now he was still trembling, only it was in sudden fear from Gabriella straddling him on the floor, her closed fist right above his nose and mouth. She smiled even wider. Her hand pressed down on his strong chest one more time before her fist came down and split his lip, draining all of the blood from his head into his throat.

"Gabriella!"

"What?"

Troy sighed and dropped his hands from her face. "You're going to beat his ass, I knew it."

Gabriella whimpered, taking his hand in hers again. "No, no, no, I'm fine, seriously! I promise you, I won't kill him. Give me a chance, please."

"Promise?" Troy raised an eyebrow.

Gabriella grinned seductively, placing a deep kiss on his collarbone and feeling his body stiffen. "Would I lie to you?"

"Well, th-there was that time last year when you snuck off to your dad's without telling me, a-and…uhh…"

Gabriella silenced him with a finger on his lips, moving her head closer to his and leaving her mouth so close to his that she was kissing her finger. "If he's still alive by the time we get back to school, I won't allow myself to have sex with you until Spring Fling night, promise."

"Okay, something that only _you_ would suffer from."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and leaned up to his ear, barely whispering into his hot flesh. "I said no sex, not that you wouldn't get pleasured."

He jumped back a few inches, his eyes widening as he replied. "Whoa, you said the thought of oral repulsed you."

"That just goes to show how much I love you."

An irritated knock came into the room's atmosphere and Brandon's voice broke through their conversation. "Lunch ends in ten minutes; wrap up your sick little quickie."

The brunette's teeth ground together and a growl escaped her throat as she muttered "Why I oughtta…"

Troy grabbed her hands. "Gabriella, control…"

She kept her teeth gritted as she murmured "I'm under control, I'm fine." Gabriella unlocked the door and left the room to leave her boyfriend to find the rest of his clothes. Gabriella dropped off his brown button-down shirt and left the door closed again, leaving him to think to himself as he shrugged on his top. _That anger went away fast. How can she stand being out in the same room with Brandon without-_

"GABRIELLA, STOP!!!"

_I spoke too soon._

Troy darted from his girlfriend's bedroom and raced down the carpeted stairs to witness the same image that Gabriella was imagining just a few minutes ago. She had Brandon pushed down on the ground with his arms pinned to the floor by her knees, straddling him high up on his heaving chest. One hand was clasped tightly around his neck and the other was clenched into a fist a few feet above his nose. Brandon's wide eyes were fixed directly on her white knuckles and he demanded her to get herself under some sort of control. "Get off of me, are you insane?!"

"Not nearly as insane as you are for saying that stupid little comment!"

Brandon struggled to move his head away from her quivering fist and tried to reason. "It was a damn joke! When were you going to tell me that you lost your sense of humor?!"

Gabriella tightened her grip on his neck and growled "What, I can't even the score? Or have you forgotten about your little outburst on my nose last year?"

That was when Troy decided to step in and grab her by the waist. "Gabriella, that's enough. You're better than this."

Brandon scrambled away from the outraged teenager and hid behind the couch. "Do you have a good hold on her?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "You're stronger than me, Brandon, grow a pair." Brandon just narrowed his eyes.

"And for the record, Sherlock" Gabriella shouted. "I know that oral is another form of sex! Why can't you just mind your own damn business, you prick?!"

"I knew you were lying…" Troy murmured to himself, a tad bit disappointed that she was fibbing. "Gabriella, what's gotten into you?"

"Do you really have to ask? This little shit said 'you know that oral is just a sluttier form of sex, right?' Let me go, Troy!"

Troy lifted his eyes to glare at Brandon. "Not cool."

"Not a lie. I don't want my sister degrading herself while she's hunched all over your-"

"BRANDON!!!"

Brandon crossed his arms and shrugged. "Gabriella, I'm going to let you-"

"You're going to _let_ me?! Let me do what? You're not dad, Brandon!"

"Since he's not here, it looks like I'll have to be since you two have apparently lost your minds!" Troy opened his mouth to retort, but Brandon cut him off. "And, Troy, don't you even think about saying that you were the victim. You could have easily told her how ridiculous she was being."

Troy raised an eyebrow and washed his eyes over Gabriella's body, stopping shortly to gaze at her quickly rising and falling breasts. "Come on, now," he nearly chuckled. "You can't honestly be that stupid."

"Don't push it," Brandon held up a stiff finger. "Gabriella, I'm telling mom when she comes home today and saying that you cut school."

"It's lunch!"

"You left the period before. I went to the bathroom fifth period and passed Mr. Long's room."

Gabriella finally snatched herself from Troy's embrace and stomped right up to Brandon's face, staring him dead in the eyes. "You can't do this to us, Brandon! No one ever said that you were the dictator of my life!"

Brandon returned her glare and barked "I'm not a dictator! I seem to be the only responsible one in this situation and as that person, I'm the one who has to make sure that you don't end up pregnant!" Troy rolled his eyes again.

Gabriella didn't flinch. She just stepped closer to him, so that they were bumping noses, and seethed the first thought that came through her mind in between her teeth. "Last time I checked, it's not all too _responsible _to be in a long distance relationship with someone and not even come close to physically expressing yourselves to each other. If you keep this up with Isabelle, you're going to end up heartbroken, either from her breaking up with you or with her cheating on you so that she can finally feel attractive to someone. Stop being such a chicken, Brandon, and take Troy's advice. Grow a pair if you can."

Troy grabbed her arm and dragged her to the front door, muttering in her ear. "Gabriella, that was uncalled for."

"It's true!" she spit back. Glaring at her frozen twin again, she snarled "See you at school, you virgin."

Not even the sound of the door slamming shut could bring Brandon out of the haze that his brain had been isolated into. His arms were still crossed and the frown was still fixed on his taught lips, his body completely motionless. The only activity that could be seen were his eyes quivering with the small tears that he was unaware of. It wasn't until what his sister said had finally sunk in that he blinked them away, sucking in a sharp breath. He looked to the floor and let it out slowly, but loudly, before covering his face with a hand, closing his eyes. He stayed that way for a few silent minutes before shoving his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans and strolling out of the house with his head low and skyscraper-high confidence crushed before he even got the chance to gloat.

--

"Knew it was just a matter of time before she finally snapped."

Gina scoffed and slapped her ex across the arm with an oven mitt. "Chase, you're not helping in the slightest."

"We're supposed to be helping him?" He grinned teasingly. "I thought this was just an open conversation. Don't we live in the free country of America?"

Brandon shook his head slowly at his father, who was obviously a little too proud of himself for coming up with that little quirk so quickly on the spot. "You've really been watching _way_ too much Comedy Central, dad."

Chase shrugged and took another long sip of his coffee. "Better than the news, I'll tell you that. Haven't you noticed how depressing it is?"

Gina took the pot-holders into her hands again and opened the oven door, whipping out a fresh batch of triple chocolate fudge brownies. The thick aroma immediately filled the kitchen so fast that Brandon had to blink quickly to recuperate and Chase had to drop his plastic frappuccino cup onto the counter before it fell to the floor. They could barely restrain themselves from tearing into them while Gina turned her back for a second to grab the cutting knife. "Wouldn't know, I don't watch it. I'm a little too busy dealing with this stupid sex drama that Brandon keeps – hey! Get your finger out of there!" She smacked Brandon's index finger away from the glass pan and snatched it away from the two ravenous males.

"Mom," Brandon whined. "Aren't they for me anyway?"

Gina rolled her eyes and turned back to tending to the brownies. "I never said that, sweetie, I _hinted_ that they were supposed to help you feel better about what your sister said, not that you could hog them all down in one sitting."

"Could you blame him if he did?" Chase piped up, smiling sweetly at Gina. "They're to die for." She smirked back at him, blushing. "Aren't you in training?"

"Mother, that was six years ago."

Gina nodded, waving them off to try and help them cool faster. "My point exactly. You've kept up your figure for this long, why lose it now?"

"'_Chocolates are the key to mending a broken heart.'_ That's what you always told me every single time I broke up with Amy."

"Brandon, you were much too young and naïve to figure out that I was kidding. That never works, believe me." Chase looked down at the counter top, taking a long gulp of his iced drink and saying nothing.

Brandon, however, brushed off the awkward atmosphere quickly. He sighed. "Well, I never got the chance to try it. And probably never will, now that Izzy's in the picture." He looked down at his left ring finger, smiling tenderly as the diamond from Isabelle's side gleamed brightly, as if she was smiling right back at him. He hadn't taken the ring off since it was placed there, even in gym class where they weren't allowed to wear jewelry. Brandon inwardly chuckled at the irony that Jack was now the head coach, letting the promise ring be the only exception since he knew the effect that it would have on him if it was removed. Brandon tried to take it off when Jack tried to compromise with him, but as soon as it reached the middle of his finger, the space where it had been burned like fire and he got a feeling in the pit of his stomach, leading up to his brain and making him an anxious mess. Jack immediately stopped him once he saw Brandon's face suddenly pale.

Chase broke through his son's memory wall abruptly. "You're really serious about this girl, aren't you?"

"Ohh, yeah." Brandon and Gina answered in unison. Gina giggled as she sliced even squares out of the chocolates. Brandon continued "Of course, dad. I've never been more serious about anything in my entire life."

Chase nodded slowly, pursing his lips in thought. "You must be if you've been keeping it long distance for this long. She's a nice girl. A lot like Troy."

Gina agreed. "I know. I've never seen a pair of cousins that were more like siblings."

Chase bobbed his head again, looking down at the counter and taking his coffee in his hand again. "Beautiful, too. A lot of guys would do things they're not proud of to get anywhere near her."

"One of the reasons why I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

Chase tried to bite his tongue, but in his mind it soon became too large to fit inside his mouth. There was only one way to relieve the pressure of asking his son the question that would most likely harm their relationship and strain his trust in his girlfriend. "San Francisco's a pretty good distance from here. Are you sure that it's not…too much space?" Gina's head wheeled around so fast she diced three of the squares into triangles and her eyes expanded to twice their size. She mouthed "Chase, no!"

Brandon's, however, narrowed into curious slits. "Dad, Izzy wouldn't cheat on me. She'd chop half of her hair off and dye it brown before she'd do something like that."

"Blonde's can grow back quickly. And California's known for the lightening sun, so…"

"Dad, no. Never." Brandon shook his head at his uncomfortable father and glared right into his eyes, letting him know that he knew exactly what was going on in his soul mate's life. Her voice was usually the first one that he heard in the morning and the last one before he fell asleep at night, telling him to move his butt in order to get to class on time and wish him sweet dreams, which were generally about her anyway. She was the gas that kept his feet moving ahead and the oxygen that lingered in his lungs every time he inhaled a glimpse of her face in his head. Everything seemed to remind him of her: Troy's ocean-blue eyes, Sharpay's long wavy hair, Gabriella's wardrobe style, and Michael's ability to listen to every single word that comes out of Brandon's mouth. It was these small, everyday notifications that kept her in Brandon's mind, but none of them could compare to the real thing. Every month on that one magical weekend when she would visit and jump into his arms as soon as he walked through the door, Brandon was filled with a strange thrill that sent his mind into a spiraling whirlwind and turned his nerves to mush. Just having her in his arms was enough for even the worst day to seem like one of the best in his life, all because he knew that those moments were limited. He'd never valued anything so much in his entire life.

Brandon's gaze must have been as intense as his thoughts, because Chase seemed to read all of this in his son's eyes. He nodded once again, whispering "Okay. I believe you."

"Thank you." Brandon replied with a slight smirk.

"No problem," Finishing off his coffee, Chase chuckled. "Besides, she should be the one who's worrying. I don't think you noticed all of the girls – and guys – who were trying to get your attention at the championships."

Brandon rolled his eyes and groaned. "Good God, I just noticed how horny Highland is. That Andy kid must have the hardest head since he kept trying to hit on me. Do I even _look_ gay to you?" He stood up straight, modeling his green and white button-down shirt along with his signature destroyed dark blue jeans. His favorite black converse sneakers topped off his normal, everyday look and complimented his perfectly styled, midnight-black hair and long, angled bangs that fell in front of his right eye. Chase and Gina looked him over and shook their heads at the same time. "Sweetie, you look great. Don't worry about that other kid. What could he possibly do to take you away from Isabelle?" Gina told him.

"Thank you, mom."

Chase cocked his head, a random thought suddenly jumping into his coffee-intoxicated brain. "Hey, didn't you say that West High always won?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"What happened to them this year? They weren't even in the top five."

Brandon flinched as he remembered Robbie, the monstrous, livid captain of the undefeated team. He had to admit that he had never forgotten the teen's dark green, enraged eyes and the power that had control on pretty much anyone who had ever looked into them. Everyone except his father, Brandon assumed, since the man looked borderline abusive and so high with control over his son that he had led Robbie to attempt suicide.

From what he had heard, Robbie had survived the incident and was out of the hospital but never showed his face in West High again. No one knew where he was or what had happened to him after his discharge, but no one really cared. Robbie was a juvenile bully who needed to be locked away, that's what everyone said. The school's violence scale had been lowered a little since his absence and there was a little less fear spread throughout everyone since he wasn't roaming the halls anymore. It was as if he never existed in the first place.

He knew that it was stupid, but Brandon couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Robbie. Were the rumors true, and his dad had really given up on him after they lost? He hadn't even visited Robbie in the hospital. What kind of person would be so heartless? Sure he was scary as hell, but Robbie was talented. Anyone could see that while seeing the man dance on the floor. Although his moves were a little too tense for Brandon's standards, he could tell that he was just stressed, no doubt from the horrendous pressure of his dad. He reminded Brandon a little bit of Todd's situation with his father, who didn't even want his son dancing at all.

Brandon gulped. "Umm…I'm not entirely sure. Mike said that when Robbie got suspended for fighting a while back before the competition and was kicked off of the team, his dad bribed the school to let him back on and somehow, the judges found out about it and disqualified them at the last second. No one knows who snitched on them, but the team was pissed without their secret weapon. People are even talking about Mr. Keelson bribing the previous judges to give them first place every year, but I doubt that's true."

Gina was almost done stacking the brownies on a glass tray and said "That's just plain stupid. That man should have known that it would have eventually gotten back to the authorities."

Chase shrugged. "If he's not in jail, then it must not be true."

"Exactly," Brandon sighed and looked down at the kitchen counter, feeling his father's eyes beside him fall onto the top of his head. "Brandon, don't worry. It's just a little sibling rivalry. It'll blow over before you know it."

Brandon shook his head a little and replied "I don't know, dad. You should've seen her face. You could practically hear her screaming 'I hate you' right at me. And then when she said that Isabelle would cheat if we didn't have sex soon…"

Gina brought the tray over to them and set it down on the countertop, smiling sweetly at him. "Brandon, it was a heat-of-the-moment thing. We all know Gabby, and I bet you all the money in the world that she's feeling terrible about it now."

"Then why hasn't she come home yet or even called me?"

Chase cut in suddenly. "Maybe it's for the best right now. You _have_ been probing a lot lately and that usually causes a bunch of heat to build up and after she explodes, it's usually wisest to let her cool off before you say anything."

Gina rolled her eyes. "So you're telling him to let it slide?"

Chase shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not _telling_ him anything, I'm suggesting. Do you object?"

She sat down beside Brandon and joined them in devouring the brownies. "As a matter of fact, yes. Brandon, you should know from experience that if there's tension between two people, it's always smart to try and talk it through before things get worse. The longer you let a problem linger, the more time you both have to come up with more reasons to become angrier. You don't want this to be hanging over your relationship with your sister so long that it becomes a five-year battle between you two. And this time, there won't be an insane gym teacher to blame. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Brandon nodded. "Yeah, I understand," He looked up and smiled. "Thanks, mom."

She took him into her arms and squeezed tightly, replying in his ear. "She told me about a book report that she has to do, so she should be home soon. Why don't you go and wait up, it shouldn't be too much longer."

After Brandon left the kitchen with a handful of two more brownies, Chase turned his attention back to his ex-wife. "Good job, Gina. That was really fantastic."

Gina smiled, trying to hide her blush behind her long hair. "Thanks, Chase. You didn't do too bad yourself. It'll at least give him something to think about on his own."

"Good, good. So, how have you been doing?"

She grinned again. "Pretty good. Work's keeping me busy, so it's moments like that one that I get to talk to them about what's going on in their lives. I feel like I'm losing contact with my own kids sometimes."

Chase raised a hand and lightly touched her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry; you're doing great with them. I've never seen them happier, especially Brandon."

She swallowed deeply, averting her eyes from him, but continuing all the same. "So what have you been up to? You can't just be sitting around the house all day."

Chase shook his head, grabbing another chocolate square. "Of course not. That's why I'm enrolled in culinary school." He filled his mouth with the hot brownie while watching Gina's drop wide open. "You're going to be a chef?"

"Mmhmm," He cleared his mouth. "For the past few months, I've been working at that restaurant and I've always wanted to get the chance to be the one living in the kitchen. So now I'm gonna try. You know that I've always loved to cook."

"Chase, that's great!" She threw her arms around him and buried her head in his neck. "Congratulations, I'm so proud of you!"

Chase stumbled backward in his stool a little, caught off guard by her pounce but soon recuperated and wrapped his arms around her as well, smiling to himself.

"Thank you, Gina. That means a lot coming from you."

--

Later that night, Gabriella sat on the living room couch with what looked like a battle zone around her. Piles and piles of rough drafts and revision papers lay scattered on the sofa, the coffee table beside the couch, and even the floor. She was scribbling furiously at a sentence that a few minutes ago had been perfect in her eyes, but now she was scrambling to get rid of it. Why couldn't she get anything right? She hoped that it had nothing to do with the fact that Brandon had been in the back of her head all day, his voice saying her name over and over and attempting to make her feel guilty about the whole ordeal that went down at lunch. It was working. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt her arms start to shake from the anger building up inside of her, threatening to break the pencil in half. Gabriella took a deep breath and loosened her grip on it, reminding herself that this was her last pencil and she wasn't running all over the house to find another one. She cleared her mind and kept breathing, blocking out the rare soundtrack of the world around her. 1, 2, 3, calm, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9…

The front door slammed shut. Startled from the impact, Gabriella's entire body jumped and her fists, still closed around the pencil, jerked to a vertical position. She looked down at the short pencil stubs in each hand and felt herself get angry all over again.

"Oh, just screw it all," She held her head in her hands and set her elbows on her knees, trying to inhale again. "Mom, did you pick up that printer ink I asked for yet?"

"Gabriella, are we really doing this again?"

Gabriella looked up and frowned even deeper when her eyes set on Brandon, fresh from work which made him good and sweaty, adding to her irritation. His bare shoulders were dropped and his eyes, free of the usual sadness that filled them when he was upset, were extremely annoyed and fed-up. He wasn't the only one.

She laughed quietly without humor and looked down at her notebook. "You know, usually I would pack up and head upstairs, but in this case," She motioned to the tornado around her. "unless that big mouth of yours can print out a six-page book report for me, I'll just tell you to get the hell out of here."

Brandon rolled his eyes and started walking into the room, reaching into his bag to pull out a few pieces of paper stapled together. "As much as I need a printer right now, I'm not going anywhere until we talk about this."

"Alternate endings for Romeo & Juliet?"

Brandon didn't flinch, nor did his eyes show any inkling of laughter. "You know what I'm talking about. Why are you so mad at me?"

Gabriella shook her head and crossed her arms while still holding her glare. "You know why. I'm not explaining what should already be obvious."

Brandon didn't respond. He just cocked an eyebrow and waited for her to tell him herself.

"Are you serious?!" Gabriella's mouth dropped open. "You're just going to make this worse for yourself?"

He just shrugged, starting to enjoy this teasing game he had going with her. He had to stop himself from chuckling.

Gabriella threw her hands down onto her notebook, shoving it to the side and getting to her feet. "Fine. You wanna know what I'm pissed off? It's because you're just the biggest hypocrite ever, did you know that?!"

"How?"

Gabriella continued to raise her voice and use her hands along with her words. "You won't stop asking me about my sex life! Whenever Troy's over, you have to be in the same room and you're always less than five feet away! Whenever I go over there, you always call me back saying that mom needs help with something or Sharpay wants to hang out! We've barely had any alone time in the last few months, Brandon! It's starting to put a strain on our relationship! That's why I'm mad at you!"

Brandon sighed and said "Okay, I get it."

Gabriella shook her head and stepped closer to him. "No, you don't. You think you get this, but you don't because you're still a virgin. Sex changes things, Brandon. It changes people. I'm not the same little girl that used to run around here in pigtails that needs protecting. Didn't you tell me that yourself last year?"

"Fine," Brandon replied exasperatedly. "I'll back off. But Gabby, you're my little sister and I just don't you to get hurt. Because you know as well as I do that sex can also – and 99 percent of the time does – hurt people."

Gabriella's mood had calmed now, and she even began to feel a tug at the corner of her mouth. "I know that, but this is Troy, our Troy. He wouldn't hurt me again."

"So what now?"

The tugs now turned into a full-blown grin. "All we're asking for is just a smidge of privacy and a few more inches of personal space. Now is that reasonable enough for you? Dad?"

Brandon rolled his eyes, smiling back at her. "Okay, you can have your stupid space. Just as long as you do something for me."

"I'm already scared."

"All you have to do is cut back a tiny bit. There's just so much that I can take before I have to draw the line somewhere."

"That shouldn't be too hard, since we've barely had any action to begin with. It's been six months, Brandon, and Troy and I have only done it about five times."

"Can you cut it back to four?"

She playfully glared at him and slapped him on the arm. "Don't push it, Sherlock. I'm just beginning to forgive you."

Brandon smiled timidly. "Really? Now the world makes sense again."

Gabriella turned her back to him and grabbed her homework again, saying "It's almost nine. Shouldn't you be calling your girlfriend?"

"As should you be calling our mother for that stupid ink. I don't feel like getting a single F in senior year."

Before Gabriella had the chance to walk into the kitchen and get the house phone, Brandon grabbed her arm and snapped her back into a tight hold. "Thanks, Gabriella."

She hugged him back, pressing her cheek against his sweaty chest and not caring at all. "Didn't have a choice. You're too hard to be mad at."

"Touché."

--

"Hi, Brandon!"

Brandon chuckled into the phone. "CallerID get fixed?"

Isabelle sighed dejectedly. "Not yet, so I set ringer ID's to all of my important callers until it does."

"Awesome. What's mine?"

She rolled her eyes. "What do you think? Never Too Late."

Brandon laughed, putting the phone on speaker and twirling his ring around on his finger. "Ohh, playing it obvious. Should've known."

"You're so delusional. So what's new down in the Alb?"

Brandon shrugged, looking up at the ceiling. "Nothing, actually. Sherlock struck again, so 'Troyella' was pissed at me for most of the day."

"Oh jeez, what'd you do this time?"

"Absolutely nothing!"

Isabelle's tone turned a little slower, as if speaking to a child with special needs. "If it's nothing, Sherlock wouldn't have entered this conversation. What did you make your business?"

Brandon answered with no hesitation or regret. "The safety of my only sister and her future. I don't understand women at all, babe, seriously."

"Maybe I can help if you tell me what kind of danger she's in to begin with. Is Gabby okay?"

"Well, if you'd ask her, she'd say that she's never been better, but I say she's completely lost her mind."

"Over what?"

"Her and her sticky fingers for your cousin."

Isabelle didn't respond for a second, making him think that the call had been dropped. "Izzy?"

"Brandon, you're kidding me, right?" she finally said in disbelief.

"Should I be?"

Isabelle huffed. "Sweetie, their relationship is none of your business and you know that. How would you feel if all they did was listen in on our calls?"

"That's what Gabby and Shar do when she sleeps over."

"Tell them I said hi next time."

Brandon grinned. "Will do. Fine, I'm sorry and I'll try to keep my nose out of it. But you do realize how hard it's going to be, right?"

Isabelle giggled. "I believe in you, Superman."

They laughed together for a second before Brandon stopped when he felt that faint tickle in his brain that told him that a matter from the day had still gone unsolved. He slowly started. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Anything. What's up?"

He silently exhaled and gazed back down at his ring, which was still sparkling even in the dark atmosphere of his room. He recapped "Back at lunch when Gabriella was screaming at me, she said something out of anger that won't leave me alone. I know she was just steamed, but the more I thought about it, the more twisted sense it started to make. Not all of it, but some parts could happen."

"What did she say?"

Brandon hesitated again, closing his eyes and taking another breath, trying to come up with what to say so that he didn't sound jealous or suspicious in any way. "Izzy, we've been going out for almost a year and most of that time has been spent thousands of miles apart from each other. Tonight, my dad said that he's never seen a love like ours and I agreed with him because I don't know if there is."

"He's right. Not many people could keep this up for this long. Where's this going?"

Brandon stopped for a second and just sat there blinking. How could he word this without sounding like an idiot? After discovering that there really wasn't one, he just jumped out onto the ledge and dove in. "I know that she's probably wrong, but Gabriella said that if we don't have sex soon, you'll end up feeling unattractive and either cheating on me or breaking up with me before you do it. I told you that it didn't make sense, but just think about it for a second."

She stayed quiet for a moment, just sitting on her bed and staring at her wall with a blank look on her face. "Why would she say something like that?"

"She was angry and I guess just felt like putting me down. I knew that I shouldn't have told you; I don't want you feeling pressured or-"

"No, why would she even think that I would ever in my life cheat on you? That's the part I don't understand."

Brandon took a breath of relief, sinking back into his pillow and closing his eyes. "I don't know either, but the more it stayed in my head, the more anxious I became. I know you'd never do something like that."

"Hell would freeze over first before I'd do something that stupid."

He smiled and said "Reassuring," The grin faltered before he asked "So what do you think about the first part?"

Isabelle fidgeted in her seat and felt her entire body heat up. "The sex part?"

"Yeah, that. Do you think it's been long enough or do you want to wait until our rings change into the real thing?"

She smirked at that last comment and replied quietly. "I don't really know how to answer that. I'm not abstinent, but I'm not the kind of person to jump right into giving myself up."

"It's almost been a year, babe."

She rolled her eyes. "I know, and that's what's so hard about it. Brandon, I'd die before I let you slip away from me, but I'll have to think about it a little more."

He sat up straight in his bed. "You shouldn't even have to. I'm an idiot for even putting the thought in your head."

Isabelle cut him off with "No, it's not your fault. It's not like I haven't been thinking about it for a while now…"

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah, how about you?"

Brandon bit his lip and looked up to the ceiling again, letting all of the possibilities run through his mind. "Same here. It would probably be really awkward on my part because the only experience I have with that part of my body is emptying my bladder."

Isabelle's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Yup."

"Wait, so you've never…never even tried to…"

"Nope," Brandon felt the heat of her question creep up into his cheeks. "Never really had the urge."

The blonde continued staring ahead at her sky-blue wall with her mouth open. Her eyes were beginning to dry up from keeping them open for so long, but the shock of what he had just said overwrote it. "Wow…"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, no, it's just…holy shit, you've never had an orgasm?"

Brandon pinched the bridge of his nose and felt his face get even warmer. "Nope. I told you, the closest I've ever gotten to feeling one is when I hold it in for a few hours and then finally go pee. Why, is it not the same?"

"Not even close."

His eyebrows flew up. "Wow, never thought it was possible to feel anything better than that."

After giggling for a quick second, Isabelle planted her feet on her white-carpeted floor and stood up tall. "Okay, I'll tell you what. The very next time that we're alone at night and if we're making out heavily, we'll give ourselves up to each other."

"Izzy, no. You don't have to do that for my sake. I'm not even…well, I'm looking forward to it, but I've always heard that it's always terrible for the girl during her first time."

Isabelle retaliated immediately. "Brandon, you're a dancer who's specialty is in the feet and _hips_. I think I'll survive. So virtual pinkie-swear?"

Brandon ran a hand through his long hair and let his eyes fall back down to his ring again, staring at her name and the pink stone above it. It wasn't an easy decision, especially since his only defense against Gabriella was his virginity. If she ever found out, she's never let him live it down. And what about his parents? It was bad enough that one of their kids had premarital relations, he felt as if he was their last hope. He couldn't let them down.

But every time he heard Isabelle's name or saw her face, his heart and mind was sent into a frenzy that couldn't be tamed anytime soon. She had a body to die for and hung out with one of the biggest party girls in San Francisco. She would know what she was doing and take good care to guide Brandon through everything, not letting him feel unsecure or forced. And Troy had given him some of his condom stash, so was there really any reason for him not to agree? His parents would get over it if they needed to. If the tradition was really that important to them, they would have made a bigger deal about Gabriella losing hers. And as for Gabriella and Troy, they've been through worse. The gloating wouldn't even last that long; probably just a few hours until they got caught in each other again.

Was it all worth it?

"Pinkie swear. And let it be oh-so sweet."

She giggled again and said "Remember that I love you."

"Always and forever, sweetheart. No matter what." He yawned and then groaned, getting to his feet. "Crap, I'm getting tired. I'm gonna go get a shower and go to bed, okay?"

"Alright, same here. Big, stupid biology test tomorrow, anyway. Sweet dreams, Brandon."

"Goodnight, Izzy."

Just as he was about to pull the phone away from his ear, Brandon heard Isabelle yell "Wait, one last question!"

"Yeah?"

She paused for a second before sighing and asking him "Okay, think back to when you were at least ten. You've never even _tried_ to-"

"Let it go, woman!"

* * *

**Two or three more chapters before you can start pulling your hair out over what drama meets up with the gang :D**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- One month later**

**- Troyella romance**

**- More hints to what's going on later**


	22. Worse Than Déjà Vu

**Oh my God, call 911! I actually updated on time???**

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**C****hapter 21 – Worse Than Déjà Vu**

…One Month Later…

The friends could do absolutely nothing to stop the time from going as fast as it was. The days, as long and gruesome as some could be, seemed to just blend into the next, making the second half of their senior year a big blur. The homework was still piled high to beyond the ceiling, teachers were still as boring as watching grass growing, and the free time kept growing shorter and shorter, rarer. This could be a reason for why Troy, Brandon, and Gabriella almost always slept over at each other's houses. Out of the entire gang, they were the only ones who remained almost completely unscathed by the pressure of the final high school year. If Troy wasn't crashing at the Montez house, the twins found themselves running up the street, their arms full of books and stuffed folders, to the Bolton residence. They didn't even have to knock; they just burst through the already opened door and stampeded up to Troy's room where he was already hunched over a book report, trigonometry questions, or anything else that the teachers decided to throw at them. In the morning, Jack was usually the one to shake them all awake from their late night/early morning studying. He usually found Brandon on the floor, his college level algebra book sitting against his legs and his head thrown backward against Troy's bed. Troy and Gabriella were in their usual sleeping position, cuddling soundly with a packet of papers in Gabriella's hands.

It was nights like those that made them all incredibly aware of just how important free time was and to grab it by the horns when they caught any of it. Brandon was either hung up on the phone with Isabelle, sometimes talking her through her trig homework, or getting some extra dance practice in. He had to cut back on his hours at the ASD in order to fit all of his schoolwork into his daily schedule. Troy was either shooting hoops with Chad at his house or sneaking away with Gabriella somewhere to get in as much physical love as they possibly could. When they returned to Brandon at night, he would just groan, annoyed, at their glowing faces, swollen lips, and marked necks and collar bones. But he never really complained, not finding a reason to blame them for taking advantage of their little private time together.

This was another thing. Brandon couldn't stop thinking about he and Isabelle's conversation about when they were finally going to stop all of the mindless teasing and just give themselves up to each other. It hadn't come up in any of their recent conversations, but he'd hinted to her about it, making his voice a little more seductive when they would play their little flirting games, emphasize his descriptions of his sexy dance moves to her, and always ending their calls with something like "I've got to get a hot shower; my groin's killing me from that split I did." After he'd hang up, he always wondered if she'd gotten the hint or not and if she did, how much longer could he beat around the bush before she finally called him out on it? After all, it took two to make love and both had to be on board. Brandon was mostly all for it, but he still couldn't break down Isabelle's words as a yes or a no. Of course he wouldn't ask; she would most likely think he was begging. And pressuring her was the last thing that he ever wanted to do.

But he didn't mind the confusion as much when Isabelle came down to New Mexico, always savoring their limited time together and not wanting to spend a single second of it worrying about whether or not she was thinking about getting into bed with him. Besides, just walking down by the lake, holding hands, and enjoying each other's company was good enough for him. Despite the distance, they had an amazing relationship with doing what they were right now. Why ruin that with sex?

Brandon and Isabelle weren't the only ones making a great pair. When Troy and Gabriella weren't cramming for a test or showing each other how much they loved each other physically, they would just lie there, Gabriella's head on Troy's chest and his hand gently stroking her soft hair. They usually found themselves doing this large amount of nothing under their favorite oak tree at night, just staring up at the bright stars and not saying a word. This typically happened after a fast-paced headache of a day. They would go home and take a two-hour nap, do half of their homework, and then walk to the park beside the lake together. Time didn't exist during those moments and the only way that they were ever aware of it was when Brandon or a parent would call them back home where they would complete the other half of their schoolwork. When they came back in that complete non-sexual bliss, Brandon would just grin and remind himself that it didn't matter how long they stayed out. If the both of them were this happy with whatever they were doing, they'd be together forever without a doubt. He was sure of it.

Troy knew this too, and one Wednesday when the homework load was unusually light, (letting him get most of it done during the end of class) he found his eyes wondering around the room looking at random things. They eventually landed on Brandon's promise ring and he grinned. He remembered the shine in Isabelle's eyes when she showed him and the smile that seemed to be chiseled onto her lips all day. Even when she leaned on a hot burner later that day, her flushed cheeks didn't budge an inch. That was what he called true love.

This gave him an idea...

Troy tore a corner off of his notebook paper, scribbled a short note, and tossed it back to Brandon. When Brandon picked it up, he unfolded it and read Troy's quick, messy handwriting.

"_Do you mind walking home?"_

He looked back up at Troy, confused and caught off guard. "Why?" he mouthed.

Troy turned his head and swiftly whispered "Gabby will tell you tonight."

--

After finishing their homework, Troy and Gabriella were walking by the lake like they always did in their spare time, just gazing out at their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The moon cast a silver-black glow on the water and the pavement in front of them, as if giving Troy permission to use its ground to unleash his idea.

"Gabs," Troy stopped them in their tracks, looking up at her through his curtain of long bangs.

"Yeah?"

He grinned and sighed, taking her hands in his. "Close your eyes."

She looked him over curiously before smirking and doing as she was told, biting her lip in anticipation. "What are you up to, Tr-" Troy cut her off with his soft lips on hers, silencing her. "Relax. And whatever you do, keep your eyes closed until I say to open them."

"I'm scared."

"Don't be," Gabriella giggled a little before taking a deep breath and waiting for Troy to either take her somewhere or do something as stupid as stripping her down right here in public. She internally rolled her eyes at the thought of it. But, she pondered, would she refuse? The tree, after all, was pretty large. And no one really came by the park at this time of night except for them, so…

Gabriella was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of a soft metal sound moving against itself. She frowned when she couldn't place it with anything. She knew that she'd heard the noise before, but her memory was blocked when she felt the cold chain touch her chest. Gasping, Gabriella's eyes flew open and automatically looked down, touching the beautiful necklace that now resided in the middle of her chest, glistening in the late night moonlight.

"Troy, what-" She looked up to look at him, but gasped again when she saw the same necklace around his neck. The chain was a simple white but the charm was what captured the attention. There were two hearts, intertwined at the hump, one white and one black with the designated color diamond filling in the hearts. Gabriella looked up at her boyfriend and, through the tears, saw him grinning and biting his lip, staring at her with complete love and admiration. He stepped forward and took both of her hands in his, whispering "Open them."

"Troy," she breathed, gawking over at his identical necklace and shaking her head slowly. "They're beautiful. But what are-"

"Gabriella, will you promise me something?"

She smiled tearfully. "Anything."

Troy brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it lightly, saying "I know that we've had our share of bumps through the course of this relationship, but I just want to tell you that I'm willing to put all of that behind us because you're the one I want to grow old with. I was an idiot before when I didn't trust you to be there for Brandon, but I've worked on it ever since we got rid of Wolf. And now that it's getting harder for Brandon and Izzy to be together, he's finally understanding how hard it is to carry on a relationship through these times in school. So now that your brother's not as big an obstacle anymore, I want to make us official before any more problems come along."

Gabriella's tears were practically bulging from her eyes as she spoke. "Troy, this is incredible. Are you sure, though?"

He stepped closer to her, leaning their foreheads together. "As sure as I'll ever be. Do you promise to give your all to this relationship until we figure out what we're going to do in the future? Do you believe that there's a future for us?"

Gabriella giggled, nodding quickly. "Of course. All throughout our childhood, I knew that I would never see the last of you. And yes, I promise. You're stuck with me, Bolton, until the day you die."

Troy smiled, leaning their heads together again. "Fine by me."

--

The next day followed the same routine, getting up at six, driving to school, finishing whatever homework questions that didn't get done the previous night, and looking over college applications. Nothing out of the ordinary so far.

But then lunch came.

There was only a few more minutes left in the period and the gang was using them wisely to catch up with each other. The increase of projects and assignments left the entire group very little time to hang out. Plus, they couldn't completely count on the lunch period to give them that time. Most of the time, two or three of them were missing to catch up on missed/uncompleted tests or serving lunch detention with Darbus for gum chewing or texting. But today, they were all free to chat and goof off. It was just like old times.

"So, Shar," Gabriella finished off the last of her water and turned to the blonde. "Did you go dress shopping yet?"

Sharpay shook her head glumly, looking down at her tray. "I can't find time to. Mr. Mallard's Spanish project is taking up most of my time. I can barely even find time to do my other homework. How about you?"

"Same. Darbus is throwing me a ton of extra credit that I'm not even asking for and after I'm done with that, she gives me another college application. By the time I'm done with everything, I'm so tired I can't even sleep. My only free time is Saturday at five, but-"

Sharpay gasped and smiled widely at her. "Yes! So am I! And Taylor was going to visit her grandma, but she decided to go on vacation!"

Gabriella grinned back. "So it's a date?"

"Hell yeah it's a date!"

The warning bell rang and the students began to gather their things, but were stopped by a ferocious crash on the other side of the room. Every head turned to the sophomore section of the cafeteria and gasps floated throughout the air as everyone watched a black-haired teenager plow an unsuspecting blonde right into the wall, kneeing him in the stomach. The defenseless blonde was then thrown to the ground and straddled by the attacker, getting punched in the face over and over until blood was covering the ground. He then shoved his thumbs into the semi-unconscious boy's throat and waited until he was blue in the face and his hazel eyes were rolled into the back of his head.

Just as everyone was sure that he was going to kill him, a brunette shoved the teen off of the injured boy and kicked him in the stomach to keep him there long enough for the blonde to stagger to his knees and, glaring at the boy on the ground, went over and grabbed him by the collar. He shoved him against the wall and started screaming in his face while tightening his grip. "It's not my fault, James! It's not my fault! When are you gonna understand that?! I didn't do anything!"

James pushed him away and punched him in the face again, yelling back with more forceful anger. "You stole her from me! It was too your fault, you did _everything_! You ruined my life, Gabriele!" He finished with another kick to the stomach, grabbing his head and tossing it into the wall. After a quick second of strangled whimpering, Gabriele's shoulders went limp and his eyes closed, his chest becoming slower and slower until it finally came to a complete stop.

Brandon's mouth dropped at the forty-five second scene that was just revealed to him. Gabriele's friends were rushing over to check his heartbeat and trying to perform CPR, with so success. "Someone call 911!" the same brunette commanded. James and his little posse stood back, gazing down at the damage and getting a little more anxious with every failed attempt at reviving the blonde. A redhead whispered something into James's ear and motioned for the door rapidly. James took a quick look at him before moving his eyes to scan across the room, as if searching for someone. When he reached the gang's table, he stopped and concentrated on a certain pair of brown eyes that were just as confused as everyone else.

Troy leaned into Brandon and whispered "Is he looking at _you_?"

Brandon didn't answer. He just stared back at James and noticed his mouth softening, even pulling up a tiny bit at the corners. His eyes were questioning, as if asking his permission for something. Brandon had no idea what he was trying to say and even so, why was he asking him?

Footsteps came running down the hallway to the cafeteria, most likely the vice principle and huge freshman science teacher. Brandon turned his head for a quick moment to see if they had come yet before turning back to James, who was receiving more and more tugs to his sleeve from the redhead. "Jay, we gotta go! Now! I'm not going to jail for murder!"

James broke free of Brandon's gaze for a second also before looking back at him, mouthing _"Should I run?"_

Brandon's eyebrows came together, his breathing increasing. Why was this kid looking at him like he was his father? How should he know? And why the hell was he still standing there?

The doors to the cafeteria burst open and the two men looked over to the bloody corner of the room. Most of James's crew had taken off, just leaving him and the redhead. Brandon took a deep breath and nodded slowly. _"Go."_

James smiled appreciatively at him and then grabbed his friend's shoulder, running out of the emergency exit to the back parking lot before disappearing around the corner.

The room was left in complete shock at the sudden outburst. Usually when there was a fight, there was some verbal communication before the fists started flying. At least, that's what they had gotten used to with all of Brandon's and Troy's previous battles. No one was whispering about anything; they just looked around at each other with looks that said "Did that just happen?" The only voices that could be heard were the booming commands coming from the teachers and the frail responses from Gabriele's friends. They still hadn't gotten him breathing yet and some were even starting to talk about his heartbeat getting slower and slower. An ambulance siren was faintly firing away in the background.

The vice principle turned around and, red in the face, screamed "If every single one of you isn't in class in the next ninety seconds, consider your spring dance cancelled! Move it!"

That got them pushing and shoving past each other so fast that half of the room was cleared in ten seconds. Since the gang's table was in the very back, they were the last ones out. The girls made a mad dash for the main hallway, but Brandon was just left dragging his feet, the movement only being made because of Troy pulling him along. "Dude, if the dance is cancelled, Isabelle won't come down!"

Brandon shook his head free of most of the lagging thoughts and this time, it was him pulling Troy along. As soon as they were safely in their next class and receiving harsh lectures from the teachers, he just stared off into space with the same question repeating itself over and over in his mind.

"_Why did those moves look so familiar?"_

--

When school let out, Brandon found himself slowly walking home alone. Troy and Gabriella asked him why he wasn't catching a ride with them, but all he said was "I need to clear my head and think some things over. I'll see you guys at home."

He just didn't understand it. James was looking at him like it wasn't even safe to breathe without Brandon's permission. He'd never even seen him before. How did he gain such authority over some random sophomore?

By this time around, he was a house down from his own and searching for his keys when there came a rustle in the bushes. Brandon stopped, turned around, and when he didn't see anything, turned back to digging into his pockets.

"Brandon, wait up!"

Brandon swiveled around and squinted at the boy poking his head out of the bushes, looking around at his surroundings to see if it was safe to come out. He saw no one else besides the confused senior, so he quickly sprinted up to Brandon. He was breathing hard and staring up at Brandon with wide, excited green eyes. Brandon noticed his flushed cheeks and tussled hair, which was cut into a semi-shaggy style that Brandon guessed was supposed to replicate his own. The jet black color wasn't natural; he could tell that from his bushy blonde eyebrows. His front tooth was chipped and he had a scar leading from the tip of his nose to the inside of his top lip, most likely from a split lip injury. Brandon's eyes shifted for a second before he replied. "Uhh...hi?"

"Hey, I'm James," he beamed back. He looked Brandon over before sighing excitedly. "Wow, I can't believe this…"

"What?"

"That I'm actually talking to you right now!" came James's response. He continued just as jubilant as he started. "Dude, you're my hero! I've been wanting to meet you since the beginning of last year! My friends won't believe this…"

Brandon's eyes flew open, then blinked a little before cracking a grin. "Oh. Well, that's awesome. Tell your friends that I said hi."

This just seemed to make James even more excited, if that was possible. "I will! Anyways, I'm a huge fan of you and your work. A lot of the people that I hang out with are trying to be you and copy what you do, but I think it's all just really pathetic. No one can ever be as good as you, man."

"Cool," Brandon was smiling now. "I've never heard anything like that before."

James pumped a fist into the air, whispering beneath his breath. "Yes, dibs on the first compliment," He then pulled himself together and sighed again. "But I'm not gonna lie: I'm kinda trying to do my thing like you, too."

"That's good. How long have you been dancing?"

James cocked his head to the side, now looking confused. "Dance, what? I don't dance."

Brandon felt the embarrassed heat crawl up on him. "I thought that's what we were talking about. What did you mean?"

The huge smile was back on James's face, spreading from ear to ear. "Oh, no, I meant the way you kick serious ass and then ask questions later! But I guess that's what makes you a good dancer, too…"

Brandon winced and internally jumped five feet into the air, feeling his stomach come into his throat. His breathing cut for a few moments before entering again, ragged and shallow. He had to blink a little and relearn how to work his vocal cords before whispering lowly. "You're…trying to…_fight_ like me?"

James nodded quickly as if he didn't see Brandon's reaction. "Hell yeah! Haven't you ever seen yourself? The way you warn your opponent that they're about to become crippled and then BAM!!! You go right in for the kill! I've been working on it for the past three years, but I know that I'll never be as professional as you are."

"Professional?" Brandon's voice sounded far, far away from his ears, like he was trying to drift away from the conversation.

James smiled up at him again, giving Brandon that same feeling of authority that he wasn't looking for. "I was kinda disappointed when you and that…" He paused to try and think of the name, the grin falling from his face and being replaced with a disgusted scowl. "Troy guy made up. That let a bunch of us down, but since we can't do anything about it, I guess we'll just have to live off of our sweet memories."

Brandon had seemed to find his body again and learned how to cooperate with his voice. "I'm glad you're enjoying them, because those were the worst five years of my life."

James rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sure they weren't that bad. He stole your sister away from you and _then_ posted nude pictures of her all around the school? You weren't just gonna take that, right?"

"Well, no, but-"

James cut him off. "I know just how you felt, too. Having someone that you really care about stolen away from you sucks like nothing else. That's actually why I was beating up that guy at lunch. Did you see me?"

Brandon sighed, finally realizing that there was no getting through to this kid about what a huge mistake he was making. "Yeah, I saw it…"

"Great, what'd you think?"

He held his breath, not wanting to crush this little boy's dreams of becoming a cell mate for some rapist and thought hard to choose his words carefully. "I don't know, I guess you did some…pretty serious damage."

James was still smiling, despite all of Brandon's obvious hesitation. "Thanks, Brandon. I don't think you know what it means to me that you just said that."

"Yeah, you got that right...so what exactly happened? Why'd you get so mad?"

James's face finally darkened, letting in the anger that Brandon remembered seeing back at lunch. He took a deep breath and started explaining. "That guy that I was fighting, Gabriele, was my best friend when we were ten through thirteen. Then I met my girlfriend, Crystal, and things were going great until I caught them making out in his room. He was all up against the wall and everything. That's when our fighting started."

Brandon felt something inside of him click and felt his eyebrows pull together again. "_He_ was the one against the wall?"

James wasn't taking the hint. "Yeah, she's always been the one in charge and gets what she wants."

Brandon nodded, deciding to let it go. If James wasn't seeing the obvious truth right in front of his eyes, maybe he didn't have enough trust in Crystal to keep the relationship together. And no trust in her didn't sound like such a bad idea, anyway. "So why aren't you mad at her?"

James shook his head. "Oh, I'm pissed at her, too, but Gabe's been my friend longer than she's been my girl. You understand, right? I mean, you've known your friend since you were, what? Eight?"

"Troy and I met when we were two."

James's eyes widened again, blinking just like Brandon had done when he had heard of James's bad habit. "Oh. You've been friends for sixteen years?"

"Yup."

"Oh, well…I guess that changes some things…"

Brandon nodded. "I guess so."

They stood in a pretty quiet silence while James thought some things over in his head and Brandon just stared down miserably at him, wondering how someone could be so enthusiastic about being in a heated feud with someone that you used to call your brother. Brandon used to cry himself to sleep sometimes because when his wishing and dreaming wasn't enough, the reality of his life just came crashing down on his good memories, battling them out for good and not leaving any scraps of happiness behind for him. All he was left with were his bleeding bruises, never-ending tears, and broken heart.

"Can I ask you something personal?"

Brandon turned his attention back to the distraught teenager in front of him and nodded cautiously.

James hesitated, looking down at the sun-faded pavement before looking back up and softly asking "How did you get yourself to forgive Troy?"

It took Brandon about ten seconds to realize that he didn't exactly know how to answer that. He just simply found himself staring at James with the most dumbfounded look, any words that would've made sense quickly scattering from his conscience mind and leaving him with nothing but air. It had been a while before he had to think about something like that, therefore he never really came up with an answer. He always knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that the question would come up sooner or later. Here was this little desperate boy who would give anything to be like Brandon, thinking that he was perfect in every single way. How could he answer a question that he knew would have the biggest effect on James's relationship with Gabriele, if he was still alive? The whole friendship lay below Brandon's answer, waiting to be either crushed to death or lifted back to life.

"I don't really know. I guess I just figured that if I was putting that much effort into trying to destroy somebody and then having it all handed back to me with their forgiveness, none of it was really worth anything. I mean, he wasn't in my life for this long for no reason. We weren't meant to be enemies."

"But he hurt you."

Brandon shrugged. "Love hurts sometimes. You just have to learn how to deal with it."

As he watched James's eyes fall to the ground again and swallow the lump back in his throat, he heard his phone beep from inside his pocket. James watched him read the text message and then look back up at him with sympathetic eyes, pointing in the direction to his house. "I have to go, umm…Troy needs help with a college app and God only knows how he'll screw it up on his own, so…"

James shrugged, shaking his head. "Don't even worry about it. I've got to get back to my friends and find them before the cops do, so I'll just see you in school. Maybe, if we don't get arrested." His fake smile faltered even more at the thought of it.

Brandon held out his hand in a friendly handshake, grinning down at James hopefully. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine. I doubt that Gabriele died."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But good luck, anyway." He smirked at his mini-me and got one back, seeing the thin gloss in James's eyes.

Police sirens suddenly blared from the end of the street, approaching them fast. James turned to his role model and with panic evident in his eyes. Brandon said "Calm down. They're probably going to ask me which way you went, so where are you headed?"

"Back in the direction of the school in the woods. My friend Tommy has a tree-house out there that we're gonna hide out in for the night."

Brandon nodded in approval of the plan, shooing him off. "Okay, good. Go, run!" James gave him one last look of gratitude before darting off into the bushes again.

Brandon spun around and continued to casually walk up his house, digging in his pockets again for his house key, when the cruiser pulled up next to him. All according to plan. Brandon gave the cop a strange, scared look and stopped in his tracks. The cop motioned for him to walk over and Brandon did, all the while keeping his façade up.

"Y-yes, officer?"

Officer Malina, as his uniform stated, nodded once at Brandon with a polite grin. "Hey, son, we just got a call about a hit-and-run. Have you seen a sophomore run by here that looked at all suspicious to you?"

Brandon raised an eyebrow and exhaled, shaking his head. "No, I don't…OH!!! Wait, that crazy kid that ran down here with the black t-shirt and ripped jeans?"

"That fits the description."

Brandon snorted, pointing up the road that headed to the lake. "Oh, that psychopath. Yeah, he was sprinting down here and just about ran into me. I think he went down to the dam by the lake. He was probably he was on drugs or something."

The officer nodded. "Okay, thanks. Was he with anyone else?"

"Not that I'm aware of. But they probably weren't all that far behind. I hope you guys catch him soon; I've got a baby sister at home and I'm really not in the mood to tell my mom that she was kidnapped or killed."

"Don't worry, son, we'll get him soon. Thanks for your help."

"No problem." Brandon told him as Malina started the cruiser back up and sped off down the street, turning the corner in just enough time for Brandon to let out a large breath. He turned around and saw James smiling gratefully at him, mouthing _"Thank you so much."_

Brandon grinned back, waving. _"Good luck." _When he blinked, James was gone.

A minute later, Brandon walked into his house to find Troy tapping his foot impatiently and mumbling "What took you so long?"

Brandon set his books on the kitchen counter and kept the grin on his face. "Sorry. I was helping out a friend."

As he took out his own college research, he couldn't help but feet accomplished in some way. Weather he wanted to admit it or not, James came looking to Brandon for help and not to tell him how amazing he was. That, he thought, was why he had asked permission to run at lunch. He was desperate, that was obvious, for someone to tell him that he was right about his views in his fight with Gabriele. Brandon bet that he knew he was wrong. Crystal had cheated on James, but there was nothing that Gabriele could do about it. He was attacked and now he was fighting for his life for no reason. Brandon hoped to God that he would survive the brutal assault. It would give James a chance to make things right with his best friend and cut this road short. Brandon's heart sank even more when he told himself this. James and Gabriele were going down a very similar path that he and Troy had been traveling on for five years.

Yes, he prayed that Gabriele would be alright, for James's sake and Brandon's.

Because Troy and Brandon had come out the other end strong and powerful, but what if the Troy in James's world...didn't?

* * *

**Now don't you dare lie to me and tell me that you weren't heartbroken at James. And what would've happened to Brandon if Wolf had actually _won_? **

**...yeah, think about that while you're trying to sleep tonight lol.**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**Sneak At Next Chapter:**

**- The Spring Fling grows nearer**

**- ...As well as the huge, dramatic drama**

**- ...I'm serious, it's only, like, two or three chapters away**


	23. Another Confrontation

**Beware, a pretty decent chapter awaits you, lol. I honestly don't think it's that bad, which is saying something since I'm basically my biggest critic...**

**I usually don't do this, but this chapter is dedicated to Jelsi4Life, for reasons that are between him and I. All I've gotta say is, thank you. You're the reason this chapter was completed :)**

**Chapter 22 – Another Confrontation**

"Aww, Kelsi! That looks _amazing_ on you!"

Kelsi stepped out of the dressing room, her head down and her feet shuffling forward in little baby steps. She gripped the silky fabric of her ivory ball gown nervously at the ruched hips, biting her lip and looking over the ruffles that were exposed on the left side. The other was draped with a smooth satin overlay that led to the strapless head of the dress. The puffed out hem of the gown came just above her slim ankles, showing off the bright and sparkly silver heels that she was also sporting. The pretty brunette adjusted her black glasses and kept her green eyes on the floor.

"I don't know," she whispered, twisting around in it a little. "Are you sure that the strapless look is for me?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Kels, this is _me_ that you're talking to. I can't see you in anything else right now."

Gabriella nodded and added "Yeah, you're invisible self-esteem is starting to show."

Kelsi's shoulders dropped as she switched her eyes from the tiled ground of DEB to her small bust. "I'm serious. I've also got invisible boobs, so what if Jason and I are in the middle of dancing and it slips down?"

Taylor came out of the neighboring dressing room in a sleek and smooth floor-length gown. The sparkly corset that led to the flat black skirt that reached the floor, flowing out around her like a frame for her dazzling legs. "Sweetie, the bra-cups have wires. You'll be fine. Now this, on the other hand," She turned so that her awe-struck friends could view the ensemble completely. "Is something to worry about."

Sharpay's rounded face cocked to the side, checking out the thin material. "It's not that bad, Tay. Just be sure not to twist too much or move too fast. Other than that, it has your name written all over it."

"Oh," Gabriella added again. "And make sure that Chad doesn't get handsy. You know how he gets when he's nervous."

Taylor smiled sarcastically. "Thanks. I'll be sure to remember that."

Kelsi took a brief break from mentally criticizing herself and looked up at Gabriella. "Gabby, why aren't you looking for dresses? Didn't you drag us all out here to begin with?"

Gabriella recalled her conversation with her mother after she had come home from school that day. "My mom showed me her old prom dress that she wore and offered to lend it to me for the night." She smiled at some unknown memory to her friends.

Sharpay's eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Have you tried it on?"

"Yup."

"Give us a summary." The brunette rolled her eyes internally as she heard the unheard words that were really going through Sharpay's head. _"How long ago was your mom's prom? I want to know if I can tell people that I personally picked it for you."_

Gabriella then sighed dramatically, plopping down on a nearby stool and started her description. "It's a curve-hugging tube that's floor length. The color scheme is definitely for me: black and grey. From the top, the stripes come down diagonally to about the knee and then fade cleanly into black. Honestly, Shar, it's beautiful."

Sharpay's head was still cocked to the side, her eyes looking up at the ceiling the way she always did when she was thinking something over deeply. "Hmm," she finally said. "Looks pretty good…"

"Better in person."

"I'll be the judge of that, Miss Montez." She smiled coyly, making Gabriella mentally shudder at her seemingly unhealthy obsession with fashion. "No doubt about that…" She murmured, averting her gaze back over to a still uneasy Kelsi. "Seriously, Kels, you look stunning. Jason will love it."

Kelsi looked up from behind her naturally long lashes and flashed a small, stunning grin. "Thanks, Gabs. I'm sure you look great in yours, too."

"No problem." The brunette's phone beeped from inside her jean pocket, alarming her in the unusually calm atmosphere of DEB. She flipped it open and read the short, yet confusing text from her brother.

"_Do I make a left or a right at the Hilton to get to KP hospital?"_

--

Brandon slammed his foot against the brakes of his jet black Honda Accord and stared up at the building that used to be his second home, back in the days when Troy would always send him there. He was agitated with himself for having to ask Gabriella for directions; shouldn't he have already memorized the way? How could he have possibly forgotten? Maybe that was another form of realizing that he'd changed since last year.

The senior stepped out of his car and swung the door shut, taking a deep breath of self-reassurance before stepping towards the square hospital determinedly. It was strange, having to walk in here to visit someone versus it being the other way around. Maybe this was what his mom felt like every time he came home with another broken bone.

When he reached the main desk, he braced his weight on the edge of the black table and smiled kindly at the elderly receptionist. She looked up through her glasses and blinked a few times, inhaling a sharp gasp. "H-hello. Can I help you, young man?"

"Hi," Brandon grinned, "can you direct me to the ICU, please?" He flashed his straight pearly whites again, knowing that they were working the Montez charm against the flustered woman. Once again, his father's extremely attractive genes ceased to disappoint him.

"Do you have a specific patient in mind?" she blushed.

Brandon, as discreetly as possible, inched his already-rolled sleeves further up his thick bicep before pressing his palms back against the desk and pushing down, flexing his broad, muscular arms like he was doing a push-up. "Yes, ma'am. Gabriele Stealcrow? He was admitted just a few days ago."

"Are you a…um…a r-relative?"

Brandon dejectedly sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I'm sorry, I'm just a friend."

The woman's eyes dimmed, almost as if she were disappointed that he would have to leave. "Oh, I'm so sorry. He requested that only family members visit at the moment. Again, I'm extremely sorry." She sounded as if she were sorrier for herself to let this piece of sweet eye-candy go. Brandon seemed to be one of the only good-looking teenagers in the place, aside from the deformed who lost their good looks to stupid accidents, like drunk driving.

Brandon lowered his eyes to the surface of the desk, bowing his head so low that his long, shiny midnight bangs fell in front of them. He then brought it back up by only a fraction of an inch, looking up from his lashes to stare deeply into the nurse's wide brown eyes. He didn't blink for a long while, just slowly watched her internally fall to pieces at his feet and agreeing to the question that Brandon didn't even have to ask. His voice was as low as his head, deep and seductive. Isabelle's soaked, bikini-clad body flashed in his mind suddenly. The bass projected further, proving to his unconscious mind that he was definitely more willing than ever to just throw the blonde down onto his bed and slam the locked door shut.

_Stop it, you idiot! _He cursed himself. _It takes two, remember? She was already half-raped…_

"I honestly do think that he considers me family," Brandon whispered. "and I'll just be a few minutes. There's something that I really need to discuss with him, for a while now, actually. Please, just five minutes and I swear I'll be out of here."

He could nearly hear her screaming in her mind, _"No, you don't have to go!"_ She swallowed and, still locking her eyes on his, pointed to the hallway that lead around the corner. Biting his tongue to keep from laughing too hard, he heard her murmur "Fourth door on the left."

"Thank you," Brandon cracked one last smirk before quickly winking and following her directions. He sighed. Sometimes it was just too easy.

However, all humorous thoughts fled from his mind when he crossed the line between the hallway and Gabriele's room. He took a deep breath, expecting the paranoid screams to immediately come his way. The nurses would come pouring in and, after hearing Gabriele's insane cries, have security haul him away without hesitation. That would bust his whole plan. Maybe if he could convince the sophomore to let him talk for just two seconds. Surely James's name would halt the screaming for a few moments.

Oddly enough, the silence was what brought Brandon out of his thoughts and caused him to look up from the tiled floor of the hospital room. His eyebrows flew up when he realized that his presence had gone unnoticed by the battered blonde laying on the white bed, his eyes glued to the flat screen TV on the wall. The remote was curled in his slightly trembling fist, which had a dark green cast wrapped around the forearm. A collection of signatures were already decorating it, which made Brandon suspicious of whether or not he was really accepting only family right now. His thin face was coated with various bandages and band-aids that hid his pale cheeks. They had a translucent feel to them, allowing Brandon the privilege to view the blue veins inside his skin and the hollowness that caused it. His white, polka-dotted hospital gown, hidden from the waist down from the thin blanket, exposed his lean chest and abdomen with a thick medical wrapping around it. In all of Brandon's experience with hospitals, he knew that Gabriele had broken a few bones on each side of his rib cage. His eyes then traveled up to Gabriele's, both damaged and looking extremely painful. He didn't blink for a reason. The left eye was violently bruised and swelled completely shut while the other had a crimson red and yellow coat, the veins poking out through the eyelid and the eyeball red and bloodshot. His chin was being held together by multiple stitches and to finish it off, Gabriele's lip was split from his nostril all the way down to his lip, just like James's. Brandon gave a tiny grin as he thought of them as some kind of friendship scar. He wandered if they were there before they started fighting.

"Wow, you're still alive?"

Gabriele's head swiveled around to face Brandon in the doorway, his eyebrow held high on his forehead and his mouth agape with awe. The tension in the room rose dramatically on the blonde's part when his eyes locked on Brandon's. Brandon just stood there, staring at the victim and waiting for him to overcome his slight shock. After about a minute, Gabriele's surprised eyes glittered into a hateful glare. His jaw locked and his chest tightened, showing off small, skinny pectorals that held nothing against Brandon's puffed-out muscles. "Why? Do you want to finish the job?"

Brandon looked at the ground, ashamed, and pulled up a chair from the wall. When he was about three feet from Gabriele's bed, he placed the chair backwards and plopped down, folding his arms on top of the headrest and sighing. "No, Gabriele, that's not why I came here."

"Then what do you want?" Gabriele spat, his finger discreetly hovering above the paging button. Brandon's eyes flashed to that hand, but ignored it. He wasn't about to say anything to set him off.

"I came to talk about James. I want to learn more about you two."

Gabriele's hand didn't move. If anything, his pointer finger flinched closer to the button. "Then why not just go talk to him?"

"He stopped and talked to me when I was on my way home a few days ago. He told me about the fight that you guys are in right now." From the corner of his eye, Brandon watched Gabriele's hand inch away from the paging button and fall onto his mattress.

Gabriele rolled his eyes and turned away from Brandon. He picked up the TV remote again and looked up at the flat screen, flipping the channels to make himself look busy. "Fantastic. Of course he would gloat…"

Brandon looked to the floor again and tried to think about what to say next. Obviously Gabriele thought that some of this was somehow Brandon's fault and wasn't getting the vibe that Brandon was trying to put out: he wanted to help. However, he thought, maybe it was too early to even try. "He told me about Crystal being in your room." he decided on.

Gabriele's red eye cringed painfully at the girl's name. But nevertheless, he kept up his iron shield. "So?"

"Was she his first girlfriend?" Brandon asked.

Gabriele chuckled lowly and grinned evilly, as if enjoying some kind of private joke. "First and last."

Brandon nodded knowingly and let his eyes wonder over to the wall, then back at the sophomore. "That explains why he didn't notice _you_ were on the wall."

This caused Gabriele to slowly turn his skinny head over to his visitor. For the first time since Brandon arrived, he looked at him without glaring vilely. The anger didn't totally disappear, though. "You don't believe him?" he whispered cautiously.

Brandon shook his head confidently. "You were practically getting raped in your own house. I can see right through that kind of stuff."

"Good," Gabriele turned back to the TV, "at least your not entirely dumb…"

Ignoring the last comment, Brandon continued. "Didn't you tell him what really happened?"

Gabriele huffed and turned his head back to Brandon. "You don't think I've tried? James is hard-headed. He sees something and doesn't try to get all sides of the story. It's like when he first saw you and Troy fight in the hallway two years ago. He was insulting your dad and you beat the living shit out of him. He saw you as Superman. You're his only role model in this world. What you say, he says and what you do, he does. If you told him to swallow a grenade before jumping off a bridge with weights tied to his feet, he'd be dead before he could blink. He sees you as God, Brandon."

Brandon sat there, too stunned to reply for a few moments. He knew that this information should've been expected, since James had already summarized his dreams of becoming just like Brandon some day. He shook his head and softly laughed to himself. "That's not too smart. I'm not even close to perfect."

"I know," Gabriele glared at him again. "That's what I told him. His motto is 'What would Brandon do?'"

"Unless he wants to be a nosy, over-protective know-it-all with an addictive personality and bad temper, he'd be better off just being himself." Brandon rattled off most of his bad qualities in the blink of an eye, considering how high his self-esteem was at the moment.

Gabriele looked over at him with cold, knowing eyes and muttered "Told him that, too…"

Brandon gulped, biting his lip as Gabriele flipped the channel one last time before setting the remote down for good, laying back in his bed and closing his eyes. "You wanna know what I think?"

"Sure…"

The sophomore smiled, flashing his rows of nearly perfect teeth and showing Brandon that the only flaw would be the chipped left front tooth. Brandon held in a gasp when he recognized the injury belonging to James, too. "You're overrated, Montez. Everyone sees you as God's way of coming back to Earth when in reality, you're just like James. Spoiled, arrogant, and self-centered. That's got to be the only reason that you dated Amy Hartzler for all those years and hang out with Troy so much. You can't stand the feeling of being alone and try to cover that fact by showing off your so-called perfect life. And yeah, I know that you saved your girlfriend from getting raped, but who wouldn't have? It's called an adrenaline rush, or more like a cage match for people like you. Troy refused to fight you as long as his cousin was in town, so you had to take out your unnecessary rage on someone else; why not the captain of the football team? The rape just gave you an excuse, didn't it?" The blonde flipped his head to the side and bored holes into Brandon's stunned mocha orbs.

Gabriele's narrowed as he opened his mouth one last time to say "I see right through you, Brandon. If you don't fight anymore, it's just because there's something even worse about you. Trust me; people don't change."

Brandon's mouth had long since closed by then, giving him the opportunity to transfer all of his feelings into his eyes and stare right back at his opponent. Things remained silent, even Gabriele's heavy breathing didn't ring in Brandon's ears. He was entirely too focused on this mental competition dwelling in between the two students. However, as attentive as he was, Brandon surrendered first. He averted his eyes to the ground and exhaled through his soft lips, the words in his throat not falling from them for once. He shuffled his feet a little as Gabriele rolled his eyes and turned back to the TV. "I knew it," he nearly incoherently sighed, "you might as well just get out of here before they see through you, too. Whoring your way into places never lasts for more than ten minutes."

After another moment's hesitation, Brandon slowly nodded and turned on the balls of his feet to step over the wretched line again, letting his hand pause on the doorframe for one more moment. He drummed his fingers against it twice before turning back around. "Can I ask you one last question?"

"Make it quick." Gabriele replied flatly.

Brandon softly chuckled and stepped forward, digging his large hands into his jean pockets. He looked down upon Gabriele's still body and took a deep breath of unneeded reassurance before stating what was on his mind calmly.

"If you want to know what I think – which I know you probably don't – I think that if you take a minute and step down from way up there on your little pedestal, you might see what's really going on in my so-called perfect life. I bet the only reason that you think people don't change is because you never gave them a chance to. When you talked to James, you probably didn't try hard enough or gave up too soon and let him walk away from you. I know, I did the same exact thing. James isn't arrogant or self-centered or any of those things that you said. If anything, he's the exact opposite of spoiled; he's deprived. James is hurt, Gabriele. But like I said, you're too far up in the clouds to even realize that."

Gabriele's eyes hardened into an even stronger glare. "This isn't about James, it's you."

"You know as well as I do that it's not, but if you must be right 24/7, let's make it about me. And guess what? I'll prove you wrong on that, too."

His blonde eyebrow cocked and his mouth curved into a violent scowl. "Go ahead, do your worst."

"Fine, you asked for it. Remember my girlfriend, Isabelle?"

"Blondes were the trend last year, so yeah. She's the plastic Barbie that you managed to trick into liking you."

Brandon nodded slowly, never skipping a beat. He continued casually. "Yesterday was the tenth anniversary of her father's death. Perfect people get perfect sleep, right? I stayed up with her all day and all night on the phone just listening to her cry and inform me on what kind of person he was. Turns out that we would've gotten along perfectly, since he was apparently so much like me. She was eight and her sister was only four, who barely remembers anything about him. Think that sucks? Try having to be their mother, telling her kids that their father was shot in the head five times because he took the last open parking spot in a crowded mall. Then, a week later, telling them that the baby she was four months pregnant with died in her depression-caused miscarriage."

Gabriele's eyes were semi-wide with shock, his mouth dropped and frozen into an "O" shape. His breath appeared to be stuck in his throat as Brandon rattled on.

"And that's not all. Yesterday was also the ninth anniversary of my uncle's death and today is when my dad had the first beer that led to an eight year battle with alcoholism. Next week is their divorce's birthday, too, around the time when my sister and I were split up for a year. Then, a day after that, is the one-year checkpoint of me stabbing my best friend and putting him in a coma for a week. But, I guess me running to my dad's like a little girl who just got out of rehab counts towards my perfect life, right? I got away with it scotch-free."

Brandon just stood there with his arms crossed and tried not to laugh at the sight of Gabriele trying to reply. But he couldn't help it for much longer; he laughed again.

"I'm sorry that the only way I could get through all of that without killing myself was leaning on my girlfriend and best friend, who tried his hardest to kick my ass for five years straight, just to save my life in the end," He whipped his arm around showed the frozen teenager his scarred forearm. "Too bad the end doesn't come without a very painful bullet wound from your insane gym teacher." Brandon dropped his hands back into his pockets and sighed. "Wow, you're right. I'm not sure that could get any more overrated. Just typical stuff that every single high-scholar has to go through, right?"

All hope of Gabriele uttering even the smallest word was tossed out of the window the second Brandon started talking about Christian Johnson's horrific death. Every word that he said about it was true: Isabelle called him in tears the second he got home from school and he didn't hang up once until four in the morning when she ended the call. Gabriella lied for him and said that he had a doctor's appointment for the first two periods, when he was really snoozing so that he could get at least four hours of sleep in. He was pretty much high off of energy drinks the entire day, not even knowing how he managed to drive over here on the freeway. Maybe that was how he forgot the way…

When he finished thinking, he found that Gabriele was still at a loss for words. Brandon grinned again and looked up at the clock on the wall, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips. "Hmm, eleven minutes," He looked down at Gabriele again and smirked. "Might as well get out of here before the whore in me runs off. I'll see you at school, Gabriele."

With that, Brandon turned his back on the ashamed sophomore and stepped back out into the hallway. Not even stopping his stride to confirm his suspicion, he could've sworn he heard the light murmur of "Bye, Sherlock…"

* * *

**Although I'm not too sure about the ending comment, I didn't think it was too horrible. Hopefully you're a little more informed on what went down between Chase and his alcohol abuse and (in case you didn't figure it out before) where in the hell Isabelle's dad is.**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**P.S: As I said before, if you're reading this, thanks for not being mad at me, Jelsi4Life (Peter). You're really an awesome guy :)**


	24. Dropping Bricks

**If you thought last chapter was a surprising one, just wait until you get to the end of this one. I gave this chapter it's name for a reason...**

**Chapter 23 – Dropping Bricks**

The midnight sky was swimming with glittering stars, illuminating the opened balcony doors with a calm atmosphere. A cool, quiet breeze fluttered through the area slowly, filtering out all of the newly created scents that would've easily given away to anyone what had just occurred less than an hour ago. The air was useful in more ways than one as it washed the external heat from the two sweaty masses upon the soft bed. The perpetual heat, however, couldn't be erased. It was forever stained and coated onto the hearts and souls of the two high school seniors resting comfortably in each other's firm hold.

Troy's usually swift fingers were now slower, combing through Gabriella's disorderly locks as he absentmindedly stared up at the ceiling. His face was a pale white from the bright moonlight that entered the glass windows on either side of his balcony doors, having the same effect on the matching mini-oceans above his nose. The wheels in his brain weren't even turning to conduct orderly thoughts to process through his head; they were just floating, only coming down to the ground for a second before jumping back in the air and sailing away until it happened all over again. Troy wouldn't have it any other way right now. Not with this goddess lying beside him.

It was the same for Gabriella. Her once tense muscles were now like gelatin when her bare skin made any sort of contact with her lover, especially after these intimate nights that they got each other alone and away from Brandon's nosy habits. Her index finger lazily drew imaginary, abstract images on her boyfriend's glistening chest while her soft breath tickled his collarbone, an act that he didn't seem to mind in the slightest. If anything, it relaxed him even more than he was. It felt as if this after-glowing bliss would last an entire lifetime.

But, of course, all good things had to come to an end. That didn't mean that its replacement couldn't also be a good thing, though. "Troy?"

"Hmm?" came his reply, not breaking his stare at the powder-blue ceiling.

The sharp exhale from her nose indicated to him that she was softly laughing against his chest. "Remember when we were around seven and would play those cute little games? We would role play and pretend like we were married. Then Brandon would catch us and just walk away confused."

Now it was Troy's turn to chuckle at the memories. He added "Then he would ask us if we were dating behind his back and we'd act all shy around each other until it happened all over again." He shook his head and, closing his eyes, visualized them walking through the house holding hands and holding baby dolls that posed as their children. "I remember Samantha and Troy Jr."

Gabriella hugged his body closer to hers and pushed her head further into his neck, letting him rest his cheek against her temple. "Did you ever think that it would end up here? Us naked and sweaty in your bed because we sure as hell aren't shy anymore."

Troy laughed louder, not loud enough to wake his slumbering parents, and pressed his lips against her forehead. He continued his soothing movements against her hair and whispered. "I always hoped it would, babe. I always hoped it would…"

They were comfortably quiet again, the only sound being the soft beating of their hearts in synchronization. Gabriella bit her lip in anticipation of the sudden thought running through her head. She scooted a little closer to Troy and breathed against his skin again, fluttering her eyelashes against his sensitive exterior and making him shudder. She grinned, but that didn't make the question disappear nor stop her from blurting it out verbally.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if that wasn't just a game?"

Troy's eyes parted slightly before he turned his head and gazed down at the top of Gabriella's beautiful head. "If we were really married?" he smiled.

Gabriella bowed her head in embarrassment. "Sorry, I let my imagination run away from me again."

Troy snickered at her flushed cheeks and cradled her hand in his own, kissing her knuckles lovingly. "Don't worry about it. It's not a crime for two people to be thinking the same thing."

Gabriella's large eyes wondered up to his. "Really?"

He grinned and relocated his lips to her nose. "Really. Gabriella, we've known each other our whole lives, so naturally it's law for us to date at some point. Most people would feel too awkward to let it get to the spot that we're at right now, right?"

Gabriella nodded. "They wouldn't want to ruin the friendship."

"Right, and considering the huge obstacle named your brother and the whole 'me thinking you were cheating' thing, I'm not sure how our relationship could get any stronger. We're on cloud nine right now, Gabriella. And I want to stay up here with you forever."

She could feel the tears of happiness bulge from her eyes and become trapped in her long lashes. Not wanting him to see her vulnerability, she snuggled her head further into his body and mumbled against his skin. "So what are you trying to say?"

He hesitated for a second. His hand returned to her dark curls and resumed to travel through them, eventually continuing down her bare back and resting right above her butt. He sighed and whispered "I guess I'm saying that even though it hasn't been as long as some people would think necessary, I'd be on the alter telling you 'I do' before Brandon has the chance to interfere, if you wanted me to."

Gabriella was at a loss for words. Did this mean that he was proposing? Or was it just a placeholder for now until they were more age appropriate? The tender, yet serious look in his eyes was enough to answer the question for her, but did she really want it answered right now? They were eighteen, just hitting the adult age, but still having a year left of being a teenager. And even the age of twenty was far too young.

"Are you saying that you want to-"

Troy cut her off before she had a chance to finish her thought. "No, I'm saying that whenever you're ready, I'm ready. And if you, God forbid, never get to that point, then that's okay with me, too. I just want you to be happy, Gabby. It's what I live for."

Gabriella blushed again and continued to try and get herself closer to Troy without becoming a part of his skin. But would that be so terrible? "Promise?"

He sealed his answer in a simple, earth-shattering kiss. "Promise."

"Then you'll understand if I said that I don't want to get engaged until we're out of college?" She distracted herself from what could possibly be flashing through his eyes by studying his amazing, muscular abdominals and tracing her finger the shape of each lump. Gabriella noticed that his breathing hadn't changed, telling her that he wasn't stunned into shock like she had expected him to become. As a matter of fact, she felt his lips change shape. An upside-down rainbow is what it felt like. A smile? She looked up and grinned when she found the same smirk that had been indented on his face, only intensified. Troy kissed her again before replying. "If that's what you want, I'm all for it."

Gabriella flashed her shiny teeth in a loving smile before cuddling back under his chin. "Then it's settled. If things are going as great as they are now, we'll consider engagement after graduating out of college. I can't wait."

His lips found her hair again. "Me neither."

A few minutes later, her breathing became slower and eventually, the smooth sound of Troy's heartbeat had lulled her to sleep. Before succumbing to drowsiness himself, Troy kissed Gabriella's dormant lips one last time. "College," he whispered to himself. "I'm holding you to that…"

--

"Great class, guys! Don't forget to work on that move and I'll see you Saturday."

Brandon's senior dance class smiled and headed for the doorway, some lingering to ask him quick questions about the new move that he had unleashed on them at the beginning of class. He gladly answered them as best he could and waved them goodbye as they headed to the locker rooms. He turned his back for a quick second to retrieve his dance compilation CD from the stereo before feeling a dainty tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he held in a groan as a short, fake brunette posed a hand on her curvy hip and chirped "Nice move, Brandon," her high-pitched voice crooned. "Have you always been that…flexible?"

Brandon nodded slowly, shifting his eyes to the white walls of the dance studio. "Uhh, thanks, Ashley. And I guess I have, since I was seven."

"Well it shows. So," Ashley's small feet unhurriedly stepped over to her instructor and leaned her head further into where it came to a halt: Brandon's ripped chest. "do you think that the best dancer in Albuquerque could spare a few hours this weekend and say, oh I don't know," She elevated herself onto her toes and, just barely reaching his ear, whispered "give me some private lessons at my place?"

Brandon gulped. Ashley Smith had been trying to seduce him ever since his first day working there and to be honest, he was getting a little sick of it. He still hadn't removed his promise ring once since it was placed on his finger and paid good mind to make sure that others knew it was there, especially the girls. Ashley always sported short shorts that could easily replace underwear and tiny tank tops that looked like they could fit her five year-old sister. The make-up had increased every week to the point that Brandon had no idea if this bronze shade was her real skin tone. Whenever he would demonstrate a seductive, sexy move, Ashley made sure to get as close to him as possible and exaggerate it, asking him if she was doing it right. Brandon would just barely nod and turn his attention to someone else who was having trouble. She was shoving herself down his throat so hard he sometimes didn't want to come to work, but decided to ignore his selfishness and try his best to act like she was just another student. He had to. If he let her get to him, it would eventually become too big a secret to hide from Isabelle and God knows what she would do the next time she came down. Would she bring Brooke with her for help? The thought almost made Brandon laugh out loud.

Brandon cleared his throat and exhaled casually like nothing was wrong. "Sorry, I'm booked this weekend. My school's Spring Fling got switched to Saturday and my girlfriend's coming down from California until Sunday evening."

"Oh," Ashley's face visibly hardened, once again making Brandon internally chuckle. "I didn't know you had a _girlfriend_." The word was like acid between her teeth.

"Yeah," Brandon held his hand to show off the gleaming ring on his finger. Ashley's jaw clenched beneath her cheeks. "We've been going strong for almost a year now."

Ashley swallowed. "How sweet. So, California? It's long distance?" The sparkle of her signature deviousness and slight hope returned to her pale green eyes.

Brandon shrugged. "Yeah, but we don't really mind. It's the weekends when she's visiting that matter. We're just counting down the days until we can change these promise rings into the real, official thing, you know? I love her more than anything."

"Even dancing?" Ashley seemed desperate to make Brandon admit to loving something, anything more than Isabelle.

However, the teacher wasn't even closed to becoming phased. "Even dancing. I'd chop off my legs myself if it meant keeping her forever."

Ashley smiled innocently at him until he whipped out his phone to read a sudden text from Gabriella. Her smile fell and a hateful glare was unleashed from her jealous eyes before Brandon looked back up and it was back to her façade. Brandon told her "I've got to get home. I'm sorry about this weekend, but maybe we can do it some other time. How about the beginning of Tuesday's class? You could come in about twenty minutes early."

Ashley crossed her arms and sent a light glare Brandon's way. "Sorry, I'll be busy that day. And for the record," Her eyes narrowed, making Brandon's brow raise in humor. "If you're willing to give up your dancing for some girl, maybe you shouldn't be in the business at all."

Brandon rolled his eyes. "Isn't that what you would want me to do if we were hooking up? Especially since the only reason you joined this class was probably to try and meet air-headed weight lifters with great hips and huge dicks."

Ashley's glossed mouth dropped in surprise, much like Sharpay's did back when she was titled The Ice Queen Bitch of East Middle. She quickly recovered and attempted to say something else, but all that came were small gasps of air. She just ended up stomping her foot and stalking out of the door. Brandon once again rolled his eyes when he noticed her shaking her hips purposefully. No matter how big of an ass he made of himself, she would never stop trying to get his attention. If anything, she'd start playing hard to get.

Tossing it off of his shoulder, Brandon continued on his interrupted journey to the locker room and, after changing, turned around to walk out of the room. What he expected to see was a clear doorway to walk through.

What he got was the exact opposite and beyond.

Brandon had began to inhale when he looked up in front of him, but was too stunned to realize that it was now cut from his oxygen flow and abandoned in his suddenly dry throat. His feet, on impulse, shot back a few feet causing his back to slam against the stone wall. He didn't feel a thing. The tremendous crash on his conscience flung any chance of feeling his normal senses out the window. His eyes were the size of three moons and his limbs were trembling uncontrollably, resembling the lake's thick oak trees blowing in a strong hurricane. Not even his toned muscles could give him the confidence to defend his abrupt fear. The fear that was caused by the two pairs of piercing brown eyes that he hadn't seen in over half of a year.

In front of him, leaning against the doorframe and smirking cockily with crossed arms that made Brandon's look like twigs, was none other than the one, the only, Brick Wolf.

Brandon knew he'd never come up with the reason for being able to form the coherent word that eventually left his quaking lips. "Y-you…"

Brick cocked an eyebrow. The action seemed much more menacing than when Brandon had done it to Ashley just a few minutes ago. "Nice to see you, too, Sherlock. Don't smother me with kindness, now."

Brandon still hadn't been able to chisel any movement from this iceberg that Brick's presence had seemed to freeze him into. "W-what the hell are you doing here?" His voice was shaking just as much as his unmoving body.

"What, I can't drop by and visit my very best friend in the world at work?" Brick held up a hand the size of a dinner plate to his broad chest. "I'm hurt." His voice mocked sorrow but his eyes were screaming with the evil laughter that Brandon had once dreamt about.

The shock still hadn't worn off completely, but the wheels of his memory had been turning at full speed. The horrible recollections of Brick's past games with the gang came pouring back in front of his eyes. Brandon silenced his nearly-clattering teeth by locking his jaw and gathering any shred of anger he had left over in his body from Ashley into a glare. "Not as hurt as Gabriella was when you beat her!"

Brick closed his eyes and Brandon was almost in too much shock to realize that he was rolling them behind his eyelids. After opening them again, he grinned. "Oh, my mistake. I forgot to apologize for that, didn't I?"

Brandon's eyes narrowed, his confidence rising with each passing second that Gabriella's beaten body flashed in his mind. "I don't want your damn apology…"

Brandon noticed something click in Brick's simple, yet terrifying eyes. His front was immediately let down for a second, allowing Brandon the pleasure of viewing him looking a hell of a lot like his deceased uncle. "Good, because you weren't going to get a sincere one. You know me too well for that, don't you?"

Brandon shuddered unwillingly. Perfect. Just as his self-assurance was beginning to find him again, Brick crushes it in a second with nothing more than a casual change in facial expression. "Unfortunately…"

"Love you, too."

"Why are you here, Brick?" Brandon demanded, his patience running as thin as his will to not scream in panic.

Brick shrugged his ridiculously massive shoulders, his arms still crossed. "I already told you. I just wanted to check on my favorite victims and see if you were healing from my little pranks," He nodded towards the studio that Brandon had just exited. "I see your feet weren't harmed at all, Mr. Jackson, Jr. Did you get Michael's in his Will or something? Or am I not _worthy_ enough to talk about him?"

Brandon's teeth clenched lightly when Brick had made fun of one of his idol's sudden death. "I don't think so."

"Not getting sincerity on that one, either."

"Didn't expect to."

The 21 year-old chuckled. "You're a quick learner."

Brandon shrugged now, shuffling his feet unwillingly. "I'm forced to be. I always had to check up on your stupid war pattern."

Brick nodded once and gave Brandon a questioning look, mixed with a little curiosity. "And did you get it?"

Brandon sighed impatiently and looked to the ceiling, pretending to be annoyed with his constant questioning but was really releasing himself from the harsh pressure. "Distract us with a big attack and then kidnap us one by one. Very original, you're like a magician."

The cocky grin was back. "You're right, because I never reveal my secrets. You know I have more…" He trailed off for classical dramatic effect.

This usually wouldn't have Brandon worked up at all. He might've even laughed, in fact, at the stupidity of the old reference to an obvious point. But this was Brick Wolf, Brandon told himself. And any degree of drama was never led to anywhere close to joking. "If you touch another hair on my sister's head, I swear to God, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Brick challenged, stepping forward and causing Brandon to slide backward loudly against the tile floor. "Turn me into the authorities? I don't see the point, considering that's about to be done."

"What are you talking about?" Brandon quarried, confused.

Brick explained. "Again, I already told you. I'm done with all of this. I've been playing Cat & Mouse with the police since I was eight and my record's probably as high as this ceiling. Like you said, it's a pattern: I have my fun until I'm just a step below life in prison before turning myself in. Considering these charges, I might have to sweet-talk the judge a little in order to stay in the clear."

Brandon's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Why do you care? You'll just break out if that ever happens."

A deep chuckle pierced through Brick's thin lips again. Brandon had to chomp down on his tongue to keep from whimpering in heightened fear. "Again, quick learner. Like you learned from your drunk of a dad that it's okay to whore your way into hospitals." A huge grin made its way to his face when he watched Brandon gasp in furious surprise.

_Screw it_, Brandon thought as he bravely stepped forward, his foot thundering against the locker room walls' echo. "Don't ever mention my father again for as long as you're a criminal, do you understand me?" Somewhere in the back of his mind, Brandon found the smugness that he thought he'd lost when he heard his voice lower dangerously instead of rise like it had before.

"Wow," Brick replied in some sort of satisfied voice, "I've only seen you this defensive when someone's trashing Isabelle."

The glorious name that normally made Brandon's heart beat ten times faster now made it come to a strong halt. If it was possible to feel your face pale sickly, Brandon did. The deepness of his voice was long gone by now. Instead, it came out in a hushed whisper. "How do you know about her?"

"Seriously?"

Brandon felt his breath start to quicken in his lungs. The thought of Brick ever getting anywhere _near_ Isabelle sent a wave of uncontrollable horror down his spine and flooding through his bloodstream. Isabelle wouldn't be touched. He'd rather die than to know that Brick even knew what she looked like. "What does she have to do with _anything_?" he questioned defensively.

Brick shook his head. Brandon noticed the same smug, satisfied look in his eyes. "Nothing. I was just making an observation."

"How'd you get the evidence to come up with it?"

Brick sighed, adding in the drama he had used earlier. "Okay, you caught me," He held up his hands in his own defense. The size of his arms made Brandon wince. "I lied in the note."

"Big surprise…" Brandon muttered.

Brick suddenly glowered at him, freezing every expanded muscle in his body and sliding himself into statue mode. A sudden flashback of the successful dance championships came to Brandon's memory. Robbie's huge, gloved hands were clenched into tight fists and his evil eyes had been glued to Brandon's. Brandon wondered what he was hiding under those gloves. Battle scars? Tattoos? Angry cuts? He internally rolled his eyes foolishly. Robbie seemed to be one of the last people on Earth who would ever resort to self-harm, even if his dad was a complete dick.

Brandon's separate distraction was ended soon. "Let…me…finish." Brick seethed in between his white teeth. Brandon scooted back further into the wall of small lockers behind him while he watched Brick smile again, victoriously.

"It was an experimental version of the truth," he continued, "I _was_ taking a break, but I was also testing to see how gullible you all were. You didn't really believe that I was moving on from the group of guys who killed my cousin, did you?"

This time, Brandon did roll his eyes externally. Stupidly. "We aren't murderers, so I know you're not talking about Troy and I."

The look on Brick's face reminded Brandon of the story that Gabriella had told them when she returned from his hostage round. He saw a huge mix of many different emotions: anger, rage, desperation, smugness, and sorrow. Why should he be sorrowful?

Nevertheless, he continued angrily. "There aren't any cops around, Montez, you can fess up any fucking day now."

Bingo, he had hit a nerve. Brandon had to hold back the raging grin begging to be released onto his beautiful face. "I'm getting sick and tired of you accusing us of something that we didn't do, Wolf. What excuse would I have to kill an innocent girl, even if she is completely insane? Your niece was a stalker and a idiot. She was a creepy bitch. Just accept it."

The second those words left Brandon's mouth, he immediately wished he could snatch them from the air and swallow them back before they reached Brick's ears. He had briefly forgotten about Gabriella also telling them that if there was anything that Brick couldn't stand, it was someone talking about his family negatively. A light suddenly dawned in his head. The night that Troy and Gabriella had almost been caught having sex on the couch, only to have it cut short by Brandon and his mother was the night that Troy had been struck in the head with a baseball through the window. _Maybe it was karma…_Troy's words made sense now. The heavy blow that came to his head after he had insulted Samantha Wolf that felt like it had come from the strongest man on the planet _wasn't_ just a coincidence. Brick had been there. He had _always_ been there. He never left after all. He _had_ been lying.

So what stopped him from lying now?

The frozen look on his face was quickly-lived, but lasted long enough for Brandon to see something else click in his eyes. A change in thought was more like it. He came here to tell Brandon that he was practically placing himself in jail, but could that change? Especially now, since he guessed that the man was now extremely pissed-off?

Brick recollected himself from the mental blow. He crossed his buff arms again, this time flexing them to twice their size. Brandon could've sworn that he lost consciousness for half a second. "Fine. If that's the way you feel about it, I won't leave you any reminders. Because only God knows what'll happen when little Brandon fucking Montez doesn't like someone. They should just jump off the face off the earth and never come back."

"Brick, I didn't-"

"Shut up," Brick commanded, "just spread the word to your precious gang that the ten of you are safe. You'll see me on the news tomorrow."

"You're seriously doing it?" Brandon asked bashfully. He had his hands together in front of him and even though he was standing, his knee was bouncing hysterically. Damn these nervous habits of his…

"I told you I was, didn't I?" Brick snapped, turning on his heel and placing a gigantic hand on the door frame. He stopped. Turning around slowly, he gave Brandon a mysterious look and grinned slowly, like a cobra. "Savor this moment, Montez, because you'll never feel this much relief again. You're safe. All ten of you."

Brandon didn't know what to say, for he was absolutely gob-smacked. He didn't even notice the last sentence's number being spat for some sort of emphasis. Since he couldn't come up with anything to muster out of his mouth, Brandon just lowered his head and eyes to the floor and whispered pettily. "Thank you, Brick." By the time he had the strength to look back up, Brick had disappeared.

Brandon couldn't believe it. Brick had finally surrendered. It was over. He took a much needed deep breath and, smiling as widely as he could, stepped out of the locker room with confidence, rallying off his friends' names in his head: Brandon, Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi, Jason, Zeke, and Isabelle. They were safe now.

Brandon was in AP Calculus 2 for a reason; a reason that seemed to be forgotten here. Because if he had been paying attention and recounted as he walked out the school doors, he would've caught his mistake and tallied off _eleven_ names from his brain…

* * *

**Haha, Dropping Bricks, do you get it now? I thought it was pretty clever: Brick is dropping himself from the equation and Troy and Gabriella's engagement plan is a little like dropping a heavy plot twist, right? Maybe I'm just high off of Oreos...**

**Did you get anything out of Brick's side of the conversation? Remember, he beat Gabby shitless after she said one mean thing about his family, and he just let Brandon off the hook for a novel of insults? Does that really sound like a Wolf? And keep in mind that he told them that he was leaving t hem alone before, but didn't keep his word. Does that tell you something? o.O Mwahaha...**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**


	25. When Two Become One

**Yay, I'm relearning how to update on time again! Haha, now only if it would get me more reviews...**

**Chapter 25 – When Two Become One**

"Chad, that's not a damn arm hole! Take it off before you rip it!"

An irritated grumble made itself known from inside the white satin tuxedo vest that Chad had stupidly attempted to pull over his large head. As Brandon helped him slide it back off, he mumbled back to Troy. "I almost had it, thank you very much…"

Once Brandon had the vest in his hands completely, he held it up to show his friend the entire front side of it. "These," he pointed to the multiple white buttons, "are here for a reason. They're helping, not hurting, so try it again."

Chad snatched it from Brandon's hands. "I know what they are; I was just getting it on faster."

Brandon, amused, held up his hands in defense. "Hey, as long as you're happy. I wasn't aware that you could afford to rip and then buy an $80 vest, man. My mistake." Chad shot another annoyed glare his way.

Troy rolled his eyes from the other side of the dressing rooms of Express Men as he shrugged on his black tux coat. He had decided on and reserved this suit three weeks ago, but still came back twice a week to make sure that it still fit. Gabriella kept telling him that it was just Spring Fling, not Prom. He replied with saying that he was treating it like the Prom, as he and Brandon did with Homecoming in the beginning of the school year. They would treat every dance like the most important one of the year, their excuse being "it's for the girls." The real reason? They wanted every dance to count, no matter how informal it was. This was their senior year in high school, the last and most vital of all their schooling. They had to leave a legacy behind them for future seniors, like James and Gabriele.

Brandon still hadn't spoken to either of them since his last encounters. One reason being that there had been no sign of James for the past two weeks and he didn't feel like snooping any further into their fight. Brandon hoped he wasn't caught and arrested; he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve any of it. Sure, he probably could've sat down with Gabriele and Crystal and gotten both sides of the story, but hadn't Brandon made the same mistake with Troy six years ago? He understood James almost completely. Brandon planned to chat with him again when he came back. Not if he came back, he internally told himself over and over again, when. He had to keep the hope alive for all three of them.

Troy spun himself around in the mirror slowly, letting his eyes flow over every knick and corner of the black suit. He ran his fingers over the skinny silk tie that cascaded over his built chest and under the buttoned coat. He grimaced. He really had to get back to the gym and work out double time if he wanted that flab under his arm to vanish before tomorrow night. A few crunches wouldn't hurt, either…

He felt a sharp flick on the back of his head. As he quickly spun around to glare at Brandon, he heard him scold "Stop thinking like that. You sound like Gabriella after Thanksgiving dinner."

Troy's eyes narrowed. "There's a difference. Even if she put on a few pounds, Gabriella would still be gorgeous."

Coming in from the shopping area, Zeke feigned heart warmth by placing a hand on his chest and fluttering his eyes quickly. "Aww, that's almost as sweet as Mr. Montez's apple crisp."

Brandon froze for a second and then turned on his heels to give Zeke a puzzled look. "What?"

Zeke arched an eyebrow while hanging a purple vest on a dressing room door hook. "What? I thought that you of all people would've at least tasted it."

"I have. When did you?"

Zeke recalled "Remember yesterday when us guys went over to your place after school to work on Darbus's drama project? He was helping your mom with dinner and started making desert when we got down there," His eyes drifted off into his own little cooking fantasy, leaving the others to chuckle at his face. "That man is my kitchen hero. Oh, the things he can do with cinnamon and oatmeal…"

Chad once again rolled his eyes. "Baylor, snap out of it before you jizz on the floor."

Zeke shot a dirty look his way before stepping into the dressing cubicle. "Ha-ha, very funny, curly-q. Like you have any plans on what you want to do with yourself after college."

Chad shrugged, dusting imaginary debris off of his coat. "I don't, but I _do_ have plans for tomorrow night. That's good enough for me." He grinned slyly into the mirror and used the nails of his pointer fingers to brush his facial hair into place.

"Oh yeah?" Brandon questioned, "Like what?"

The basketball star kept the smile on his full lips and boldly stated "Like turning my girlfriend from a valedictorian teenager into the _woman_ I know is in there. That's what, Sherlock."

The three males outside the cubicles were suddenly bombarded with a booming laugh come from Zeke's stall. "HA!!!" he howled, "good luck with that one, Danforth!"

Brandon had turned his full attention to the half smug, half annoyed man in front of him. "Are you serious?!"

Chad nodded. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Troy took a few steps closer to his second best friend and carefully advised "Whoa, back up a second there, Chad. You don't want to rush anything with a relationship, especially when it comes to sex."

Chad cocked another eyebrow. "Are _you_ really giving _me_ advice on keeping my virginity?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Chad, I'm serious. You know Taylor better than any of us, and even we know that she won't just jump in head first into giving herself up to you."

"Give me one reason."

"You're always fighting." Came Zeke's voice from the stall. Chad gritted his teeth in frustration. "You've got one more time, Zeke…"

Brandon adjusted his jacket sleeve while he gave his input. "He's right, you know. You two remind me of my parents when they were still married. And don't you think that Taylor's been acting like a fully grown woman since before she even hit puberty?"

Chad shrugged again. "Yeah, but I'm surprised that it lasted this long. She _is_ dating me, anyway."

"Exactly. She's a strong girl, so it should be extra easy to resist you."

"Pfft," Chad huffed back, "who would want to resist this?" He motioned toward his rock-solid frame in the full length mirror in front of him.

"Keep telling yourself that, buddy," Brandon surrendered, "I'll keep an eye out for you on the news when you suddenly go missing. We'll find you buried alive with all of the other rapists."

A spark suddenly flashed through Troy's bright eyes. Checking himself out once again, he questioned "Speaking of the news, did any of you watch it this morning?"

"No," Brandon replied, adjusting his tie which was identical to Troy's, "why, anything remotely interesting?"

Troy cocked an eyebrow. "Sure, if you call Brick turning himself in after seven years on the run interesting."

Brandon wouldn't exactly call his reflexes terrible; they were quite advanced compared to everyone else's in fact, just like his math skills. It was something that he had developed after five years of endless war with his best friend since birth. Troy would always pop up from around a corner or right behind his back and Brandon noticed his response getting faster and faster year after year. Very little physically surprised him anymore, weather it be a misguided step in one of his students' dance steps or his father's playful punches to the arm.

One mention of the notorious Wolf family, though, and he was completely intangible without as much as another heartbeat.

Troy's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of his practical blood sibling's hand jerk, pulling the tie as tightly around his neck as possible. Brandon didn't even seem to notice the blood flow ceasing to flow to his frozen brain.

"Brandon, snap out of it!" Troy desperately pleaded, drawing the teen's tie loose to hang down his chest like free trash. With another pound to the back, Brandon was somewhat shaken from his bemusement and back to the real world. A world where the man who had used to beset them to an extreme turned himself in. Brick had turned himself in?

_Are you shitting me?_

"What did you say?" Brandon croaked after thinking the same phrase over and over again in his foggy head.

With another look of concern, Troy continued "My dad was watching the news this morning before I head out and I heard them say his name. When I started paying more attention, I saw his mug shot and clip of him being escorted into the county prison. Brick's gone, guys. He's actually done with us."

By now, Zeke had let himself out of his cubicle and was joining his fellow classmates in staring gob-smacked at Troy. "Are you serious?"

Troy bobbed his head heavily. "I'm dead serious. Unless he's making a ridiculous effort to trick us, I think he really means it this time. We're free."

"He blew up a _mall_, dude." Zeke reminded him.

Troy lifted his arm in a one-arm shrug. "What's so hard about throwing a bunch of grenades around? This time, he'd have to actually break out of one of the most heavily guarded places in New Mexico."

"What's so hard about that?" Chad quarried, "he's a _Wolf_. His uncle had to have taught him something in his days."

"Did you see him this morning? The man must have gained another half of his already insane weight. He had muscles in places thought couldn't be reached."

Brandon's shaky fingers began hastily unbuttoning his jacket. He didn't want to have to explain as to why it was soaked in his nervous sweat to the manager.

Even though it sounded miles away, he heard Zeke's voice comment. "Wow, just as I was forgetting about him, you manage to bring him back up again. Good going, Hoops…"

Troy's eye-rolling was practically a scream to Brandon's ears. "Well, I'm sorry if I just wanted to give you a heads up on what happened to the dude who could've killed half of us. I'm going straight to Hell, aren't I—Brandon, are you sure you're okay?"

Brandon's face was covered in a thin sheen of sweat that was impossible to go unnoticed by his friends. "Peachy…" he whispered back.

"You look like someone just told you that Isabelle was raped, dude, what's up?"

The mention of his soul mate in any kind of deadly jeopardy didn't help things in the slightest. After wincing, he gulped down what little saliva his fear had left him and murmured "I'm fine, seriously."

"Bullshit, Sherlock, what's your damage?" Troy leaned against the cubicle door and shoved his hands into his pockets. His jacket was opened as well and his tie was loosely secured around his thick neck with his long bangs hanging in his shining eyes, as they usually did. If the girls were present, they would go bananas over his model figure but to Brandon, he was just another object in the room. He could be cardboard cutout for all he was paying attention. Nothing really registered in his head right now.

Brandon shrugged. "Honestly, I'm good. Just caught me off guard, that's all."

Troy's eyes narrowed again. "How could _you_ be caught off guard? You don't see any of us reacting like that."

Now it was Brandon's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm not you, Troy; you know that we're not exactly alike."

"We're close enough."

The agitation growing in his brain seemed to push some feeling back into Brandon's body. He sighed heavily. "I don't have time for this right now, Troy. I'm fine. You know that, I know that, everyone knows it, okay? Now if you don't mind," he grabbed his clothes from the hook and stepped back into the cubicle, "I have somewhere much more important to be right now."

The brunette checked his watch. "What are you talking about? Izzy's not supposed to get here for another four hours."

He heard Brandon huff hastily from inside the changing area. "Have you seen my place lately? It's a pigsty. There's no way I'm having the love of my life in my house while it's in this shape. She's not a damn hobo, for God's sake."

Troy snorted. "Now look who's sounding like Gabby…"

Brandon tore the plastic door open with an irritated glare and hung the tux back up on the rack. "Again, I don't have time for your little quirks coming from your pea of a brain. The sweet smell of bathroom cleaner and Febreeze is calling my name, so," Brandon snatched his keys from inside his jean pockets and jiggled them in front of Troy's humored face, "Sayonara, idiots."

Chad also emerged from his changing stall, a confused look coating his dark face. "That doesn't sound too French-ey. Are you sure you got that word right?"

Brandon rolled his eyes for the last time before remarking "You know what they say, Chad: those who ask too many questions only get more, therefore never getting answered."

Chad was silent for a few seconds, shifting his eyes as they contracted slowly. He finally looked back up to Brandon and cocked his head to the side. "What?"

Without another word, Brandon just waved and headed out to his car to prepare for a night that he assured would be the best of his life. He could feel it.

--

Brandon took a deep breath and looked around the dim-lighted room. It was, for once, completely spotless and fresh due to many hours of his hard labor and careful maintenance. The window beside the couch was cracked just a little to let a light breeze flow through the warm room and spread the scent of roses around the entire house. There were no loose papers or school books in sight; he had tucked them all away in his computer desk up in his room. Nothing was out of place. He smiled. It was perfect.

The doorbell finally rang. Brandon grinned and coolly walked over to the front door. He opened it and was automatically engulfed in a tight hug from a blonde body clad in a black satin halter top and destroyed jeans. Laughing, Brandon lifted her off of her feet and closed the door with his bare foot. The girl whispered "Hey, Brandon."

Brandon leaned in and caught her lips in a sweet, passionate kiss, surprised that his knees didn't give out from the extra weight and amount of love in the kiss.

When he separated them, he leaned his forehead against hers and whispered "Hey, Isabelle."

--

Ten minutes later, Brandon and Isabelle found themselves curled up on the couch, feeding each other strawberries and whipped cream. Isabelle smiled as Brandon held up a strawberry to her mouth and joked "Here comes the choo-choo train."

Isabelle laughed at his childish mood and accepted the sweet treat through her lightly glossed lips. She purposely tilted her head downward, resulting in getting whipped cream on her nose and upper lip. She sarcastically gasped and said "Oh my. It seems I've gotten whipped cream on my face. Whoever shall help me get rid of it?"

Brandon grinned and slightly laughed at her seductive act. "I think I could be of assistance." With that said he leaned forward and slowly licked the cream off of her nose. He moved down, but this time, kissed the mess off of her lip.

Isabelle smiled and pulled back, nodding. "Thank you for your help."

Brandon spoke up. "Oh, Izzy, I think I see more whipped cream on your face."

Isabelle, sure that Brandon had gotten it all off, concerned "Where?"

Brandon leaned forward and murmured "Right..." He captured her lips in another kiss, making it the 15th one that they had shared that night. "...there." he finished when they had separated.

Isabelle rolled her eyes, but smiled. She lied back in the sofa and let her head fall into her boyfriend's chest. "I love you, Brandon." She whispered.

Brandon planted his lips firmly on her forehead and murmured back "Want me to show you how much I love you?"

"Is that a suggestion?"

Brandon laughed. "Yes, but not for what you think."

Isabelle nodded. "Than go ahead."

Brandon stood up from his comfy spot on the couch and walked over to a dark corner in the room. He walked back to Isabelle within seconds, whose heart skipped a beat. "A guitar?" she gasped, staring at the wooden instrument in his hands.

Brandon smiled. "Yeah. I learned how to play over the last few months. I asked Troy and Jason to teach me because I wanted to show how I can wait forever for you."

"Brandon, you didn't." Isabelle's mouth fell agape, a faint pool of realization falling over her.

"I was wrong," He grinned. "Simple Plan does know how to make a girl go insane, especially mine."

Isabelle smiled as Brandon started playing familiar notes on the guitar. His warm eyes connected with and never left hers as he sang...

"**You look so beautiful today  
When you're sitting there,  
It's hard for me to look away  
So I try to find the words that I could say  
I know distance doesn't matter,  
But you feel so far away**

**And I can't lie  
But every time I leave,  
My heart turns grey  
And I wanna come back home  
To see your face tonight  
'Cause I just can't take it**

**Another day without you with me  
Is like a blade that cuts right through me  
But I can wait, I can wait forever  
When you call, my heart stops beating  
When you're gone, it won't stop bleeding  
But I can wait, I can wait forever**

**You look so beautiful today  
It's like every time I turn around,  
I see your face  
The thing I miss the most is  
Waking up next to you  
When I look into your eyes  
Man, I wish that I could stay**

**And I can't lie  
But every time I leave  
My heart turns grey  
And I wanna come back home  
To see your face tonight  
'Cause I just can't take it**

**Another day without you with me  
Is like a blade that cuts right through me  
But I can wait, I can wait forever  
When you call, my heart stops beating  
When you're gone, it won't stop bleeding  
But I can wait  
I can wait  
I can wait forever**

**I know it feels like forever  
I guess that's just the price I gotta pay  
But when I come back home  
To feel your touch  
It makes it better  
Till that day  
There's nothing else that I can do  
And I just can't take it**

**Another day without you with me  
Is like a blade that cuts right through me  
But I can wait  
I can wait forever  
When you call, my heart stops beating  
When you're gone, it won't stop bleeding  
But I can wait  
I can wait  
I can wait forever**

**I can wait forever  
I can wait forever  
I can wait for the day,  
'Cause you're gonna come back to me now  
I can wait forever  
I can wait forever  
I can wait forever…"**

As Brandon strummed the last notes, he noticed a few teardrops on his guitar (Irony anyone?). He brushed the tears away from Isabelle's eyes and cheeks and, setting the guitar down on the floor, pulled her onto his lap. She whimpered into his chest and managed to choke out "T-thank you s-so much! I loved it."

Brandon smiled and kissed away the fresh tears falling down her flushed face. "Thanks. You said that you loved musicians once, didn't you?"

Isabelle nodded after gaining some sense of control over her tears. "Yeah, but that was months ago in a small conversation. You remembered?"

Brandon smiled. "I remember everything you say. Like how your best friend in California is Brooke Underwood. Your most prized possession is your antique 'Origin' CD by Evanescence. Your favorite color is a mix of blue and purple or as you like to call it, 'Pue'. Your favorite sport is lacrosse; your most treasured memory is when you were in Disney World with Troy, Sarah, and the parents when you were twelve. You've only been in love twice; once with a guy named Tyler who cheated on you and the second, with me."

Isabelle stared at her boyfriend of ten months in pure awe. "You remembered all of that?"

Brandon nodded with a light smile and answered "I also remember you saying that you wanted a boyfriend who listened to you. How'd I do in that category?"

Isabelle didn't reply. She threw her arms around Brandon's neck and crushed her lips against his as Brandon immediately responded, pulling her as close to his body as possible while she pushed his back against the couch. Isabelle, without leaving Brandon's lips, got up from her spot and fixed herself on his lap, now straddling him while feeling him wrapping his arms around her waist and running his fingers up and down her back. He ran his tongue across her bottom lip and felt her mouth open, letting him slide his tongue in and rubbing against her teeth and deep within the corners of her mouth.

His journey ended when he felt her tangle their tongues together, fighting for dominance. Brandon fell back for a short second for air before re-attaching his lips to hers, hearing her moan loudly when he lightly bit her tongue.

He then moved on from her mouth to her neck. He immediately bit down on the soft flesh and ran his tongue over it, as if leaving his mark to tell everyone _"Back off! She's mine!"_ As every bite became harder, Isabelle gripped his powerful shoulders and tried to hold back the moan that was trying to escape her throat, but couldn't. Brandon grinned against her skin and just as he finished with another dark mark, he felt her fingers slowly making their way up his shirt and run the sharp nails across his rock-hard abs.

Brandon mentally shrugged and let his hand roam up the back of her blouse, feeling the baby-soft surface of her skin. He smiled against Isabelle's lips when he felt the small trickles of sweat forming on her skin. She wasn't the only one getting excited...

However, he nearly passed out when he felt her hands leave his toned stomach and reach for the buttons of his shirt. She undid three of the six before Brandon pushed the both of them off of the couch and onto their feet having Isabelle turn around and use the couch to help wrap her legs around his waist. Brandon draped his arms underneath her butt to support her. He quickly walked them over to the staircase and, keeping their lips glued together, used the wall to help him walk up the stairs to his room. He impatiently fiddled with the knob before finally getting it to open for them. As soon as the two were in the room, Brandon quickly shut the door and locked it, knowing that just in case his mom or Gabriella came home early, they wouldn't want to see this.

After gently laying her down in the middle of his bed and climbing on top of her, Brandon felt around his bedside table blindly before finally grabbing his stereo remote. He reluctantly pulled away from Isabelle and breathed "Music?" Isabelle nodded, also out of breath.

While Brandon skimmed through the music, Isabelle finished unbuttoning his shirt and threw it to the floor to be quickly forgotten. Brandon let the remote also drop to the carpet as "Take Me Under" by Three Days Grace erupted from the speakers.

Before he let Isabelle kiss him again, Brandon breathlessly asked her "Are you s-sure you want to do this?"

Isabelle smiled at his concern and stroked his blushing cheek, moving some of his black bangs out of his sparkling auburn eyes. "I've never been surer of anything in my entire life. I love you, Brandon, and I want you to be my first. I trust you."

Brandon smiled at her desperately truthful words. He nodded and, swooping down, kissed her waiting lips while struggling with the halter string on the back of her neck. Isabelle giggled. "Problem?"

Brandon shrugged and answered in between kisses. "Just...a...little."

Isabelle, running her fingers up and down his muscular chest, replied "Well you better hurry up if you want to see my surprise..."

Now totally motivated, Brandon's eyes widened and his fingers flew in trying to undo the damn knot that was in between him and his girlfriend's nearly naked chest. When he finally succeeded the task, he slowly slid it off of her neck and down her shoulders, softly kissing the trail of skin along the way and producing more moans from her.

"Take it off…" She whispered in his ear, letting her fingers tangle themselves in his shaggy locks. Brandon willingly followed orders and quickly, but carefully, lifted the blouse over her head, only leaving her lips for a second to let the shirt come over her face. Once the black fabric became a puddle on the floor, Brandon pulled back to admire her strapless, lacy, baby blue bra.

"Now that is what I call lingerie," Leaning down, Brandon let his lips fall onto the soft, glowing skin that covered her chest and showered kisses all the way down to in between her cleavage. When he pushed himself back up, something sharp grazed his unsuspecting abdomen.

"What the..." Brandon confusingly started to ask his girlfriend, who just grinned knowingly. Brandon looked down at her lower stomach and gasped at the sparkling string of diamonds that he didn't notice a few seconds ago. "You got your belly button pierced?" he concluded, looking back up at her with a small smile.

Isabelle shrugged. "Brooke dragged me to the parlor and practically demanded that I have mine done, too. Now enough talking. Where were we?"

Brandon grinned and whispered "I think I can remember..." He returned to her lips and kissed her so hard, his sensitive mouth began to sore. Giving himself a break, Brandon revisited the trail that he had kissed only minutes ago and this time, extended it to all the way down her flat stomach to her belly button. Brandon was about to go back up when he decided to have a little more fun and tease his girlfriend. He took all three diamonds in his mouth and ran his tongue down into her belly button, having her gasp in shock and arch highly into him.

He let the jewelry out and climbed back on top of her, latching his lips to hers once again in a gentle kiss and letting her know that they could still stop at any given time. However, he figured that she didn't want to when she quickly deepened it.

This was it. Now there would finally be a point to all of the flirting they did during their nightly phone calls and short monthly visits. Now Brandon could spend more time thinking about college or dance moves instead of what it would feel like to have his first sexual high. They were both finally taking the next step in their innocent relationship. They were losing their virginity to each other.

"I love you, Isabelle." Brandon murmured into her lips, finally finding her bra clasp, unhooking it, and sliding the garment off of her body.

"I love you too, Brandon..."

* * *

**You can use your imagination for what happens that night :D**

**I wrote the "sex scene" at around 3:00AM in the beginning of summer last year and the only thing that kept me from falling asleep was the heat in the room rising...jk.**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**Sneak at Next Chapter:**

**- Someone finds out about Brandon and Isabelle sleeping together**

"_**This is not what it looks like." Brandon pathetically defended himself and the sleeping beauty beside him.**_

"_**Yeah," -- nodded "I think it is."**_

_**Brandon took a deep breath and hung his head. Busted…**_

**- It's Spring Fling Night at East High!**

**Trivia:**

**- I wrote this scene at 3:00 in the morning on June 18th 2008 because I was bored and restless**

**- The song that Brandon sings to Isabelle is "I Can Wait Forever" by Simple Plan**

**- My first choices were to have him sing "Inseparable" and/or "When You Look Me in the Eyes" by the Jonas Brothers**

**- Isabelle's most prized possession is her Evanescence CD. That's my most prized possession as well. Barely anyone has it since only about 1,500 copies were released and it's not on iTunes, so don't even check. It's a CD of songs that the band recorded as demos**

**- Isabelle's most treasured memory is my most treasured memory from the summer of 2007. Me, Arthur, my dad, and my cousin, Carl, went to Orlando, Florida for a week at the beginning of summer**

**- Purple and blue mixed together is my favorite color. It mostly goes by the name "Blurple" but I changed it up and made it funnier**

**- My favorite sport is lacrosse, so I made it Isabelle's**

**--**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**


	26. Spring Fling

**Disclaimer - I don't own the song "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus or "Bad" by Michael Jackson (R.I.P.)**

**Chapter 25 – Spring Fling**

The next morning, Gabriella walked through her front door and smiled. Troy was so sweet it killed her. Last night was one of those nights where they had not had sex or anything close to it; they just took a long, peaceful walk by the lake, holding hands, and occasionally commenting on whatever randomly came in contact with their lines of vision. And as usual, they eventually reached their favorite oak tree and just lie under its protective branches for an unknown time span. Time never existed during those comfy moments as they rested in each other's arms. Even their sweet kisses seemed more loving during these times. She was his angel and he was her rock.

She stepped into the kitchen to find her mother cooking an egg and pancake breakfast like always. Gina looked up at Gabriella and smiled. "Hey, Gabby. How was your night?"

Gabriella beamed back. "Perfect, as usual. We did absolutely nothing and I feel like I've never been happier. Have I mentioned that I love him?"

Gina laughed. "I think it slipped out a few times."

"Good." Gabriella flopped herself down on a stool and, crossing her arms before leaning against the kitchen island, looked around the room confused. "Where's Brandon?"

Gina turned back to the eggs and smirked knowingly. "Still sleeping. I didn't want to disturb him." The smile on her face got even bigger.

"Why not? Peanut butter pancakes are his favorite."

Gina's grin grew into a light giggle. As she drew four plates from the cupboard, she replied "Don't worry about him, sweetie, I'm sure he has a reason to be tired."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I don't know why; it's not like he and Izzy are doing anything."

Gina just kept grinning.

Gabriella sighed and pushed herself up from the stool. "I'm going to go see what's up. We girls have hair appointments in twenty minutes, anyway."

"Brandon's door is locked."

"I have the key."

"Gabriella," Gabriella turned around impatiently. "I'm telling you, just leave them alone. You can be a few minutes late to the hair dresser."

"You're forgetting that we're friends with _Sharpay_, mom," Gabriella finalized, as though it were obvious, "I'll be back down in a second."

With that, Gabriella made her way over to the staircase. As she walked, she noticed the faint aroma of roses and looked over into the living room, arching an eyebrow. Half a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream sat on the coffee table along with rose petals all over the floor. Brandon's new guitar lay on the floor with what looked to be tear stains on the glossy surface. Then she saw something that she really couldn't believe.

Isabelle's shoes lay in between the two sofas. Why were they still here? Isabelle didn't go anywhere without shoes, let alone walk outside barefoot without a purpose. If her shoes were here then that could only mean that she was still here, but that was obvious. What Gabriella really didn't understand was that if the couple wasn't sleeping on the couch then they could only be sleeping in...

"Wait a minute…" Gabriella whispered, tearing up the stairs frantically. She ran to her room, got the key to Brandon's room from her bookcase, and ran back. She approached the door and took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she might—and halfway _knew_ what she would see. She stuck the key in the hole, twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open a crack, peering inside the room carefully. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming when she found Brandon's shirt on the floor. That tiny, casual detail would've kept her from getting suspicious if it weren't for the feminine blouse on top of it. Brandon never slept in a shirt, but Isabelle wouldn't be caught dead sleeping in anything short of a tight cami.

Gabriella kept her gaze off of his bed and looked around at the floor some more. She groaned annoyingly when she found two pairs of jeans lying side by side near the bedside table. She rolled her eyes when Brandon's green boxers hanging off of his spinning office chair on the other side of the room came into her sight. Isabelle's favorite lace bra and matching panties were wildly thrown on his desk. The brunette just ground her teeth in aggravation.

Gabriella took another deep breath and finally looked at the bed. Even though she strongly predicted it, she let out a loud growl. Brandon lay there, his arms wrapped around the blonde's waist and his face resting in her messy, wild hair. Isabelle had her head buried in his still sweaty chest and her hands planted firmly beside it. Her back was in clear view. It was bare. Gabriella could also see some of Brandon's back as well and she winced when she saw the claw-like nail marks that looked painfully deep. He still had dry blood trickling down his back, which didn't help her anger much; it just fueled the longing for him to hurt for his hypocrisy. Gabriella closed her eyes and sighed. Brandon slept with Isabelle. She couldn't believe him.

"Gabby?" a voice whispered in a gasp. Gabriella's eyes flew open and widened as she looked into Brandon's shocked and slightly scared eyes. Isabelle stayed put, not waking up due to the fact that she was a very deep sleeper when she had reasons to be this tired.

"Wow..." Gabriella replied back, unable to find the words to speak out against her rage.

"This is _not_ what it looks like." Brandon pathetically defended himself and the sleeping beauty beside him.

"Yeah," Gabriella nodded slowly and sarcastically, "I think it is."

Brandon took a deep breath and hung his head. Busted.

"Gabby!" his mother called from the kitchen. "Did you get his door open?"

Gabriella stayed silent for a second. She yelled back "Yeah, but he's not in here." Brandon's head shot up like a rocket as he loudly whispered "Huh?!" With this word, his body jerked towards the mass beside him.

That made Isabelle stir. Her eyes unfortunately fluttered open and looked up at Brandon's shocked face, becoming confused. She followed his gaze and drew in the breath to scream, but Brandon covered her swollen mouth with his hand before she had the chance to do so.

"What?" Gina quarried. Her voice was also confused now.

"He's not in his room," Gabriella sighed, rolling her eyes. "I think he want over to Michael's."

"Oh…um, okay. Can you go get him, please?"

"Yeah, sure. Just let me get dressed first." Gabriella turned back to the frightened couple and whispered agitatedly. "You two owe me _big_ time!"

Brandon nodded and removed his hand from Isabelle's mouth. She smiled. "Thanks, Gabby."

Gabriella politely grinned back and said "I suggest you get dressed, sneak out of my balcony, and run back to Troy's house. You do the same, Sherlock. Only stay on the ground for a few minutes until I give you the cue to come in."

Brandon and Isabelle nodded while ushering her out the door. Gabriella closed the door and took a deep breath. That was unexpected. Her brother and her boyfriend's cousin having sex. She shuddered. Even though she supported their decision and expected him to cave eventually, she couldn't believe that she had to be the one to find out for herself. Wouldn't the couple telling the gang at Spring Fling be a little more appropriate? And way less sickening?

After slowly getting re-dressed for no reason at all, she ran down the stairs and could faintly see Isabelle and Brandon outside, their arms around each other and kissing like mad. She rolled her eyes and internally groaned.

"Be back in a few, Mom." She called, running out the door before even getting an answer from her mother. She ran over to the two and barked "Hey! Lovebirds! Didn't you have enough of that last night?!"

Brandon parted from his girlfriend to smile. "Like you always say, Gabs. Enough is never enough."

Gabriella placed her hand on her pained forehead and pointed in the direction to her boyfriend's house. "Go get ready for our appointment, Izzy."

Isabelle gave Gabriella a tight hug and whispered in her ear "Thanks so, so much for covering for us. You really are a good friend."

Gabriella hugged her back. Telling the blonde that Gina already knew wouldn't exactly be the best idea, she decided. Brandon embarrassed her and Troy the morning after their first time. Why should she make a fellow victim suffer?

"You're welcome. Now go before my mom sees you."

Isabelle nodded, gave Brandon one last chaste kiss, and took off down the road to the Bolton house. Brandon watched after her, love shining in his wanting eyes, until he was pulled from his daze when he felt a painful whack on his arm.

"Oww!" he cried, "what the hell was that for?!"

"You little hypocrite!" Gabriella nearly yelled, "and losing your virginity while mom was in the house?! Isn't one of her kids bad enough without her hearing all your bus-"

Brandon loudly cut her off. "Shh! I'm sorry, okay, but you know how it is. And as for mom, she wasn't even in the house while it was happening. She came home around one and luckily didn't check on me."

Gabriella groaned once more. "Whatever. Just worry about Troy or Izzy's mom finding out. You're screwed if that happens the way I found out."

"I've already been screwed..." Brandon grinned sexily as he watched Isabelle walk up to the Bolton residence, her hips swaying naturally in a successful attempt to make him want to drop to his knees. Brandon could clearly see Troy's head poke out from his doorway and ask "Why didn't you change?"

Isabelle looked in the direction of the Montez house and grinned "Didn't get time."

Troy followed her gaze and gave Brandon a suggestive look, raising his eyebrow. Brandon shrugged and smiled back, winking. Troy's eyes widened as he ran out of the house and over to his best friend one house over. He gripped Brandon's shoulders and said "Did you two do what I'm assuming you did?"

"Is that a _suggestive_ comment?"

"Yes."

"Than yes, we did"

"LIAR!!!" Troy bellowed, making Brandon and Gabriella jump but still laugh, "I thought you said you were saving _your_ virginity until you were married!"

"SHH!!!" Brandon impatiently stopped him, almost feeling the need to slap his hand over his best friend's loud mouth. But he just shrugged, "If things keep going the way they're going with Izzy, I'll be married to her in no time."

Troy drew in the breath to begin his fatherly rant, but quickly glanced at Brandon's beautiful twin standing next to him shaking her head. The words _"You'll be a hypocrite, too"_ were practically written across her forehead. Troy let out the air in a slow groan and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just don't get her pregnant."

"Got it."

Troy's parental and defeated face suddenly melted into a sly grin and a careful, curious gaze. "Soo...how was it?"

Brandon's, however, changed into major shock and revulsion. "Are you serious?"

Troy nodded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Duh! This is one of the biggest parts of your life that you just _have_ to tell your best friend. Remember? We tell each other everything!"

"Even if you probably don't even want to _hear_ what happened?" Brandon sarcastically, but still half seriously, reminded him.

Troy's ever-changing expression suddenly twisted into a mixture of curiosity, suspicion, and disgust. "Did she give you a…"

Brandon immediately cut him off. "Oh God, no, I didn't even want her to. You know me better than that." He could pretty much sense Gabriella's mocking dry heaves beside him.

"Good to know that you were somewhat thinking. I don't think you know how hard I'd be laughing if your mom walked in on you two going really intense on your first time. Just knowing that you did it at all is hilarious to me."

Brandon's eyebrows furrowed and his head cocked to the side. "What are you talking about? My mom has no idea."

"But-" Once again, his eyes connected with his girlfriend's. Gabriella was shaking her head again a little more frantically with wide eyes and mouthing "No, leave it!" Troy got the message in time to stop himself. "Lucky you. My mom won't stop dropping hints that I need to be extra careful and not slip up."

Brandon chuckled. "I can believe that. At least you didn't get a big talk like my dad gave you."

Troy gritted his teeth. "Yeah, remind me to _thank_ you for that one later, Sherlock…"

The dancer flashed his beaming teeth in a cheesy smile and laughed. "You're welcome."

Gabriella's voice interrupted the two from their sarcastic conversation. "If you two don't mind, we girls have a beauty appointment and if we're a second late, I'm notifying Sharpay that it was your fault. Let's go back in, Brandon."

After kissing Gabriella goodbye, Troy dismissed himself. "See you later, Brandon."

"See ya." Brandon waved. He turned back to his sister and begged "And as for you, please don't tell mom!" He got down on his knees and grabbed her legs, grasping them like a little kid wanting to stay up at night watching his favorite show. "I'm begging you, dear sister, PLEASE don't tell mom!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes and shook Brandon off of her. "Chill. If I wanted to tell mom, I wouldn't have sneaked you two out, now would I?"

Brandon smiled brightly and crushed her in a tight hug "Thanks, Gabby. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Gabriella huffed. "Oh, please. The only reason I'm doing it is because I remember how I felt when you forced me to tell mom when Troy and I had sex for the first time. Don't think that I'll ever let you live that one down, dear brother."

His head ducked in embarrassment. "Now that one I _am_ sorry for."

"Damn right you are."

The cocky, after-glowing attitude returned to Brandon's body and he smirked. "Don't you have a hair appointment to get to?"

"I'm waiting on your girlfriend. If she doesn't hurry up, Sharpay will beat her down so hard you won't be able to recognize her."

The door to the Bolton house opened and closed, revealing the blonde in a fresh pair of black sweats and flip flops. Simple, but absolutely stunning to Brandon all the same. Her head turned and the smile that never disappeared from her face got even wider, reaching her eyes and making them shine like the sun above them. Even if Sharpay did kill her for making them late to the hairdresser, Brandon would always be able to pick out the blue orbs quicker than it took him to learn a dance move.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" he whispered before turning and making his way back into the house.

--

"Can you believe this?" Brandon asked excitedly, straightening out the skinny tie of his tux.

Troy shook his head with a smile, "No, but I guess we're just going to have to slap ourselves in the face and accept it as one of the greatest nights of our lives." He answered, finger-combing through his chestnut bangs.

Brandon smiled and took a deep breath. Tonight was it. It was their night to shine. It was finally Spring Fling night. No one could deny the excitement that was building up, ready to explode. The dance was being held at the local Hilton hotel, just ten minutes away from Troy's house. Brandon was over there getting ready while Gabriella and Isabelle were preparing at the Montez house. He could barely stand the anticipation of seeing his soul mate in whatever attire she had planned for the evening. Whatever it was, he was certain that she would turn out absolutely stunning.

Troy had rented a limo for the night so that he, Gabriella, Brandon, Isabelle, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Zeke, Jason, and Kelsi could arrive to the hotel in style. Everyone had rented black limos, but Troy decided to stand out a little and got a sleek white one.

Brandon, anxious and ready to leave, said to his best friend "Okay, looks like we're set. Let's get this show on the road."

Troy stopped him and objected "Whoa, whoa wait. Before we go," he walked into his bathroom momentarily and came back out with a blue and green glass bottle in his hands. "We need to put some of this on."

"What is it?" Brandon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Troy rolled his eyes and ordered "Hold out your wrist."

Brandon was about to do so before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh no. That's cologne, isn't it?"

"You are correct, sir." Troy grinned matter-of-factly.

Brandon shook his head and backed away, refusing "No way. You know that I hate that stuff now."

Troy sighed. "Come on. Don't you want to smell nice for Izzy?"

Brandon replied quickly. "Nope. She already told me that my natural scent was her favorite smell in the world."

Troy, again, rolled his eyes and argued "Come on, man. Just change it up for one night. I promise that she'll love it."

Brandon stubbornly shook his head and said "Nope."

Troy sighed and, tossing the cologne on the bed from behind his back, shrugged. "Whatever, that's fine," He went over to his window and looked down on the street. He smiled. "God, I can't believe this is finally it!"

Brandon laughed. "Troy, it's just another formal dance. It's not like we've never done this before."

"But this time we have dates that we're actually in love with! Last year I spent this night in the hospital and you went with Amy. Isn't this just so much more exciting?"

Brandon smirked and nodded. "I guess it is, then."

Troy nodded back and, raising his hand, said "High five on our scores."

Brandon laughed and slapped his best friend's hand for a second, then froze. Troy just grinned evilly. Brandon asked "Why is your hand wet?"

Troy laughed shortly and whispered "Gotcha."

Brandon pulled away and looked down at his palm, which had a clear liquid on it that was definitely not water. He sniffed it and glared at Troy, then at the cologne bottle on the bed. He knew that something was up when Troy had tossed it from _behind_ his back and not in front. "I hate you." He muttered.

Troy patted his brother's shoulder and teasingly replied. "Love you too, bro. Let's get going."

--

Not even five minutes later, Troy and Brandon found themselves at the Montez doorstep. Brandon knocked on his house's front door and waited for an answer. Feet came pounding down the stairs inside and then the door flew open. Gina gasped and shrieked when she saw her son and her technical son standing there with smiles decorating their gorgeous faces. Gina pulled Troy into a hug first and complimented "You two look so handsome! The girls are going to love you!"

She hugged Brandon next and after noticing something different about him, sniffed his neck. "Honey, are you wearing cologne?"

Brandon turned his head and glared at a grinning Troy. "Yes, unfortunately…"

Troy just rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, saying "Dude, I was just trying to help you out."

Brandon ignored him, not wanting to push the subject further, and asked "So, mom, are the girls ready yet?"

"They're upstairs right now. I'll call them down."

Brandon nodded and waited while Gina went to the top of the stairs for a moment before coming back down with a huge smile. She announced "Brandon and Troy, I am pleased to announce that you two are very lucky. Please welcome…Gabriella and Isabelle."

The sound of heels clicking could be heard slowly cascading down the carpeted steps. Troy and Brandon closed their eyes and took a deep breath as the girls finished their trip down the steps. They heard Gabriella giggle. "Ta-da."

The two men opened their eyes and gasped in unison, their eyes widening. Troy's heart nearly stopped when Gabriella smiled, her glossed lips just begging to be kissed. The only way you could tell that she was sporting her mother's old grey and black gown was if she told them. She gave new life to the beautiful garment as it hugged her curves tightly and flowed to the ground over her legs that went on for days. Her black locks were softly waved and fell down her back with a kind of grace that made Troy want to lose his fingers in them. The elegant almond-shaped orbs above her nose were dressed up in lightly applied, but dark makeup. She wore sheer eye shadow that gradually got darker as it reached the edge of her eyelid, with thickening mascara and perfect eyeliner on her bottom lid. Finally, Troy knew that she had put some thought into her blush, which could barely be seen. She knew that she'd be blushing naturally for almost the entire night. All in all, she was absolutely show-stopping.

Brandon, on the other hand, was surprised that he didn't kneel over and die as his eyes fell upon a wave of pink. Izzy bared a floor-length gown that was ruffled neatly from the curvy waist down. She added to her intense beauty with a simple pink diamond necklace on a gold chain. Naturally, she was wearing her pink and blue promise ring for she too hadn't taken it off since it was first placed on her finger. She wore dangling silver earrings that could be seen under her shiny, curled hair. Brandon just wanted to marry her on the spot.

The boys were too caught up in staring to notice their dates walking over to them and linking their arms together. Gabriella's free hand came up and snapped her fingers in front of her boyfriend's face. "Earth to Troy!"

Izzy added "Yeah, sweetie, do we need to go get some ice water and mess up your amazing hair?"

The mention of Brandon's 45 minute project quickly brought him from his daze. But nothing could save him from the ocean of her beauty that he was currently and forever drowning in. "You look amazing." He whispered in awe.

"Yeah, she looks good," Troy murmured, never taking his eyes off of Gabriella. "But nothing beats you, Gabs."

"Thanks, Troy. You clean up pretty nice yourself." She grinned back.

"Did they come down yet?" A masculine voice erupted from the living kitchen area. Brandon was too far gone into Izzy's eyes to notice his father stepping out of hiding. "Wow, they do look gorgeous."

"I told you. Do you have the camera?"

"Yup. All we gotta do is bring them back down from their little cloud—BRANDON AND TROY!!!"

His sudden booming vocals didn't make the boys jump; instead they just casually turned their heads for a second to see Chase holding his digital camera in his hands. "Welcome back. Group picture!"

The girls giggled as they heard their boyfriends groan in annoyance, but still posed nonetheless. After a few of those, the couples stood together and snapped some loving pictures with their arms around each other. Brandon and Isabelle were even bold enough to model a tender kiss for his parents. Gina smirked knowingly again.

Troy darted up the stairs for a second and came back down with two pairs of sun glasses in his hands. He chuckled. "Come on, Sherlock, you can't have dance shotspics without stupid ones."

Brandon grinned along with him and took one from the brunette. "I thought you didn't want any pictures at all. Now you want more?"

Troy shrugged. "If we're doing it against our will, we might as well make the best of it," He slid them on and popped his collar. "Besides, my stunna-shades are so much better than yours."

Brandon let out a loud, sarcastic laugh and leaned back to back with Troy, commenting "Keep dreaming."

"It's all I ever do. And that's good enough for me."

--

From seeing Troy and Brandon's reactions to their girlfriends coming down the stairs, you think that you'd know what true beauty unto itself was by now. It was something like a dream that you never wanted to end or a feeling that you wanted to remember for the rest of your life. Beauty is what Isabelle was to Brandon and Gabriella to Troy. Just seeing their girlfriends light up this mess called Earth made Heaven fall onto their shoulders.

But what they saw in front of their eyes when they walked into the hotel ballroom came pretty close to their definition.

"Oh my God!" Gabriella squealed, gripping Troy's arm tighter.

"Holy crap." Chad's voice came from behind Brandon and Izzy's shocked bodies. Taylor waltzed in behind him and repeated the same reaction.

The dim room was astonishing. The theme, which was previously announced as "A Night Under the Stars", surely lived up to and flew beyond everyone's average expectations and shone brighter than Sharpay's sparkly fuchsia dress. The high ceiling played host to many recurring silver stars hanging down to about five feet above the students' heads and the walls were decorated in elegantly designed Christmas lights. A huge purple and black banner reading "Spring Fling '10" hung from wall to wall towards the back behind the DJ's club-like setting, where he was already starting to take requests. Brandon grinned in satisfaction when he spotted the platform centered in front of the DJ. He knew what it was intentionally put there for and, just like the Back to School dance in the beginning of the year, his left side twitched in eager anticipation. Izzy knew him well enough to smile along with him and squeeze his hand tighter.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. Despite her low volume, Brandon heard her loud and clearly over the booming tracks coming from the speakers set up in all corners of the room.

He shrugged. "But if the walls could talk, they'd be whispering behind your back all night in envy." The blushing blonde turned to him, smirked thankfully, and pulled herself tighter against him.

Once the entire gang was together and with their significant other, they headed out to the floor in search of other friends whom they refused to call sidekicks. For Brandon, this meant his dance crew and ex-girlfriend. Amy's floor-length red corset wasn't all that hard to point out. Michael, Todd, and Drew were, as usual, within breathing distance of each other.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do we have here?" Brandon teasingly made his presence known in Amy's ear.

She turned and squealed when she flipped her head around to see her favorite ex-boyfriend. Amy wrapped her arms around him and pulled his head close to hers, an easy replacement to jumping and choking him with her short legs. After letting him go, she quickly looked him over. "Wow, someone's never looked hotter."

"Touché, Ms. Red-Carpet-Worthy. How many evil stares have you gotten tonight?"

It was then that Amy noticed Izzy standing beside him. She grinned. "Not as many as your girl, most likely! Izzy, you look like one of the stars themselves! How are you?!" Amy buried the blonde in her arms and heard her giggle into her chest, "F-fine, Amy. Thanks, you look amazing, too. That gown is fantastic!"

"Mine? Please, you're the one looking like a damn queen who was blessed with diamond eyes."

After quickly blushing again, Isabelle replied "Yeah, well I wasn't the one who was blessed with European silk for hair." Amy rolled her eyes and hugged her again.

Brandon cleared his throat nervously. "Not like this isn't all good and awkward for me, but I'll have to steal the queen back. She's only here for one more day."

"You of all people should be the master of awkward situations. And I know you well enough to see that you're perfectly comfortable with me being friends with your current girlfriend. You look happier, both of you do."

Brandon and Izzy shared a short sly gaze. She purred "We're with each other. What else do we need to be happy?"

The look that Amy flashed Brandon deeply reminded him of Troy's stare earlier that morning. While Izzy was looking at the floor, Brandon quickly winked at his friend. Amy's eyes nearly popped out of her gorgeous head and landed at her heeled feet when the realization washed over her. She turned away and crushed her head against Michael's shoulder, laughing her little heart out. The blonde watched down on his girlfriend curiously and asked "What's gotten into you?"

Amy answered in between harsh giggles. "Nothing, not _me_ yet. Them on the other hand…"

Michael lifted his eyes to Brandon's and raised a bushy brow. The head dancer shook his head lightly, the unwritten code for the simple word "later".

"This is supposed to be a night of fun; stop confusing me."

Todd slid over to the couple and flashed his brightest smile. "That's how I feel all the time. Welcome to the club."

"We know, Jumpy, go loosen up and get ready for 8:30."

Now it was Brandon's turn to become confused. "Jumpy? What's that?"

Todd replied "My new nickname, dude, where have you been? I'm high energy and love my dance flipping, duh! And Mike said something about ADD, but I still don't get what that's supposed to mean."

Brandon groaned. "I feel so left out!"

"I'll say. What kind of Sherlock are you for not knowing this obvious stuff?"

Brandon ignored him. "What part of 'don't do anything funny until I'm there' don't you people understand?"

Mike answered this time. "We get all of it. You just have a habit of never actually coming back to the group when you leave. I think the only way to keep you around for more than an hour and a half is to have a party next weekend." Michael wiggled his eyebrows suggestively like a guest list was already starting to form in his head.

"Great minds must think alike."

"Good to have you back, Mr. Jackson."

Brandon smiled weakly, as if the locker room incident with Brick didn't pop back into his mind the very second that those words left Michael's mouth.

_What are you doing?_ His conscience scolded into his head, _It's a beautiful Saturday night at one of the chicest hotels in town, you're about to dance your feet off in an hour and a half, and you have God's most treasured creation hanging on your arm. You're on fire right now! Forget about Brick Wolf; he's in jail and you'll never see him again. It's finally over._

As if he couldn't believe himself, his favorite pair of lips suddenly planted themselves onto his ear. "Dance with me?"

Her sensual invitation couldn't be passed up if the building was on fire and everyone was running around screaming, he figured. Brandon took Izzy's hands in his and rhythmically relocated them into the sea of swaying hips and everlasting feet.

"Forever." He whispered before his self-control was ripped away by the familiar beat of the musical roar.

--

"…**I'm bad!"**

The ground trembled under the applauding audience's feet when the dance team struck their final pose from the routine, an amazing rendition of "Bad". They weren't dressed in their usual red and white sweats; the group had watched the music video countless times and put together uniforms matching the outfits as well as they could. Brandon had raided his father's closet and (with a little extra help from Hot Topic), created an exact replica of MJ's leather ensemble, chains and all. They even had a double extra-large room fan rolled up a few feet from the platform and switched on at the right moment. Brandon was proud of himself. Michael would have been proud.

When they were all changed and returned to their friends, Brandon was bombarded with a praise that was much like the one he received at the championships. He and Troy's handshake was exchanged while Gabriella showed him the footage that she recorded on her digital camera. The guys mimicked moves that they remembered as they laughed at their stupidity but the only person that he cared about was the one that just simply hugged him tightly and whispered how proud of him that she was into his ear. Brandon hugged Izzy back, stroking her curls lovingly.

"All for you," he warmly reminded her, "you're my reason for being anything at all. I love you, Isabelle. Thanks for giving me the strength to even do stuff like this."

Isabelle knew that she'd need waterproof makeup for the night. Her crystallized eyes bulged with tears at his honey-sweet words. "You're always welcome, Superman. And if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be here to cheer you on. Thanks for always being my guardian angel, even when you weren't supposed to be."

Brandon's mocha eyes lit up. He looked down at the beautiful blonde in front of him and smiled coyly, saying "I'll be right back." With a light kiss to her forehead, he stalked off towards the DJ's setup. As Izzy watched her boyfriend leave, his biological other half tapped her on the shoulder. "Where's he going?"

Izzy shrugged. "I don't know what he's up to. You're his sister; shouldn't you know these things?"

Gabriella shoved her friend's shoulder teasingly and replied "I wouldn't be surprised if you know him better than me. I'm not the one talking to him for at least three hours straight each night."

Just as Izzy was about to reply, Brandon came back and wrapped his arms around her lower waist. "Miss me?"

"Depends on where you went. What's going on, Sherlock?"

Brandon slowly spun her around so that he was still tightly holding her, but her torso was pressed against his. He took hold of her hand and let his other slide around her, like he was about to compose a slow dance. "You'll find out in a few seconds."

"What's that supposed to me-"

The current fast-paced song suddenly cut off and the slow guitar ballad flooded Izzy's ears, immediately reaching her memory. She gasped in shock and gazed up to see a very smug man in front of her.

"You remembered?" she tried to whisper, but the motion was completely inaudible.

"I'm not trying to get laid again, I swear," he joked, pulling her even closer to him so that he could feel her hot breath through his shirt, "I just figured that since your dad made you this promise, too, maybe this song would get his attention and he could see how beautiful you look tonight."

It didn't matter if her make-up was waterproof or not. Someone could've run in, washed her face clean of all its make-up, and made her look like a clown and she wouldn't care. Nothing mattered to her now except for her soul-mate standing in front of her, gazing down on her and looking the most passionate that she's ever seen him. Izzy unconsciously enclosed her arms around his neck and didn't dare of breaking the moment by looking away from his eyes. Brandon led them in stepping to the beat, his heart keeping time with the music.

**When I see your smile,  
Tears roll down my face, I can't replace  
And now that I'm strong I have figured out  
How this world turns cold and breaks through my soul  
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one**

**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven**

**It's okay, it's okay, it's okay**

**Seasons are changing  
And waves are crashing  
And stars are falling all for us  
Days grow longer  
And nights grow shorter  
I can show you I'll be the one**

**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven**

**'Cause you're my, you****'****re my, my  
My true love, my whole heart  
Please don't throw that away  
'****Cause I'm here for you  
Please don't walk away, and  
Please tell me you'll stay, stay**

**Use me as you will  
Pull my strings just for a thrill  
And I know I'll be okay  
Though my skies are turning gray**

**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven…**

For the second time in 24 hours, a song was dedicated specifically to Izzy making a similar promise. Both songs were discovered by Brandon through her in small, irrelevant conversations that they'd had several months ago.

And for the second time in 24 hours, she found herself at the mercy of her tears. Every unimaginable feeling of painful memories, soulful appreciation, and immeasurable love for the two males that she loved the most poured out of her crystallized orbs and fell down her stained cheeks. Izzy never wanted to leave Brandon's arms; she couldn't dream of it.

Albuquerque was where she belonged.

--

Eventually, the gang had to recollect the time that they left behind a long while ago. Before they knew it, it was time for the Spring Fling King and Queen votes to finalize. Principle Matsui took the stage and cleared his throat into the microphone, which he had to lower by about a foot. The student's giggled,

"How's everyone feeling out there?" He plugged his ears when the deafening response was delivered.

"That's what I like to hear. Now, I'm pleased to announce that the moment you've all been waiting for has finally winded down completely and the royal Spring Fling couple is about to be revealed! The votes have been collected and counted multiple times, so we have our winners," He removed a slip of white paper from his jacket pocket, unfolded it, and smiled. "Your Spring Fling King is…Troy Bolton!"

Troy's mouth dropped open while he heard the roaring applause make his ears want to bleed. Being announced as a candidate was shocking enough, but how could he actually win? At the very least, he thought the prize would go to Brandon.

The brunette subconsciously walked up the few stairs to the platform and smiled as Matsui placed the plastic crown on his head. As if he believed it wasn't there, Troy reached above his face and felt the synthetic, but meaningful symbol rest in his thick hair. He looked out into the sea of teenagers and mouthed 'Thank you', knowing very well that they wouldn't be able to her him.

"And your Queen is…Gabriella Montez!"

Gabriella's hands flew to her mouth, but not before a surprised shriek escaped her lips. Happy tears automatically rushed to her eyes while Sharpay, Izzy, and Taylor wound their arms around her in a friendly group hug. She broke it, however, when Troy beckoned her to him with his hand outstretched for her. She climbed onto the stage and let Matsui place the crown in her carefully styled curls. Her eyes met with her boyfriend's, and he mouthed "You look beautiful." Gabriella blushed, squeezed his hand, and replied "So do you." He grinned and planted a deep kiss on her forehead.

"Congratulations, guys. Get down there and have your dance."

Troy helped his beauty down off of the stage and pulled her to the middle of the floor, taking her fully into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his strong neck and laid her head down in his chest as the soft piano melody spilled from the speakers. Closing her eyes, Gabriella heard Troy whisper "No other girl on the planet could look more like a princess than you do. You're a real Queen, Gabs."

"And I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else. You're my only King."

She jumped a little when someone's hot breath came to her ear. "He's your Prince; I'm your King. That's what you said last week."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Brandon. I only said that to cheer you up when Three Days Grace lost the number one spot on iTunes." She heard Izzy giggle, so she assumed that her brother was glaring daggers at her right now. But she couldn't care less. His heated stare melted along with the rest of the world when she returned her eyes to Troy, her King, her rock, her everything.

* * *

**I'm sure that ending will grow on me, but I'll leave it for now. I really wanted to get this out, because guess what's finally happening next chapter???**

**FINAL DRAMA SETUP!!!**

**Wow, I can't wait to get started on the next chapter! I'm sure you won't believe what I have in my evil mind ;) I'll just say this: pay attention to the lyric "Though my skies are turning grey" It's a sense of foreshadowing. Mwahaha!**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**P.S: Gabby, Izzy, and Kelsi's dresses are in my profile (under Haunting Memories, of course). Just thought you'd like to know that little piece of info...**


	27. The Beginning of the End

**Hey, HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!! So I spent half the week in Virginia with the family, took my laptop, and finished this chapter quicker than I thought possible, lol.**

**I bet you're all tired of hearing about the drama that's up ahead for the gang and how awesome it's going to be. Your wait is over. If you couldn't tell from the title of this chapter, most of it deals with the background info on the situation the eventually branches out and hits the entire gang. The last section of this deals with a pretty big, sensitive issue, so if you're easily offended by (spoiler) rape, please proceed with caution. I don't know all that much on the subject, so please forgive me if I get something wrong :)**

**Chapter 27 – The Beginning of the End**

192 hours, 11,520 minutes, or 17,694,720 seconds. You can take your pick to define the eight days that the senior gang was in complete and utter bliss starting the day after the dance. The sun shone brighter in the morning, cafeteria food seemed much more eatable, and even the homework load didn't bother them as much. It still piled up to the point of near suffocation, but as long as they were diving in together, they got through it with wide smiles on their faces and usually came out with more warm memories and inside jokes.

Loving dates seemed much more romantic for Troy and Gabriella. They always looked for ways to take their relationship up a notch, and Troy was the first one to come up with an idea. He told his girlfriend to meet him at the lake as usual, but this time with her bikini. After following orders and rushing up to the hill, Gabriella gasped shortly and then giggled when she found Troy standing by the shallow end of the water, shirtless and sporting only his blue and black plaid swimming trunks. He waved her down and took the playful hit to the arm when she shrieked in his ear. "Are you crazy? Do you _want_ someone to catch us?"

He shrugged. "It's their loss when they see how much fun we'll be having. Now come on; you're not swimming in your clothes, are you?" From the way he said it, it seemed as if he were challenging her.

Gabriella grinned. She gripped the hem of her cami and pulled it over her head, revealing her pink and black bikini top from last year. Troy's breath hitched in his throat as he viewed the tight fit and extra skin that showed how much she's grown in the past year.

"Please. We could be having a skin contest and I'd kick your ass up and down this hill."

"Is that a bet?"

She paused, realizing the set-up that she had just placed onto herself. Troy's eyebrows wiggled suggestively as they dropped to her extra-short jean shorts that barely covered her long, curvy legs.

Gabriella shook her head in disbelief, but still smiled all the same. "Troy Bolton, don't tell me that you planned this."

Troy shrugged again and looked up at the glittering stars, pulling something out of his pocket. Gabriella rolled her eyes when she saw the Trojan label on the small square packet. "You're the one who said that _anything_ can happen at any time. You have to be prepared for _anything_ life throws at you."

He returned his gaze back to the goddess in front of him when he heard a zipper move. Gabriella was squirming out of her shorts, twisting her hips on purpose to make Troy's core heat rise even more than it did when she first walked there. She advanced on him, took the condom from his hand, and dropped it to the ground.

"Let's see how long it takes life to catch up with us while we're splashing around," she whispered in his ear and wrapped her arms around his neck. He did the same around her waist. "And if no one catches us, it'll be our little secret."

She felt his grip become tighter and lean them a little to the right. Troy's lips were just mere centimeters away from hers when he breathed "Close your eyes."

Gabriella obeyed and just as she could feel his skin on her mouth, his strong arms tossed both bodies into the warm spring water. Even when they were under, he didn't let go when she teasingly kicked him in the leg. They eventually resurfaced and he laughed loudly when her shriek sounded off in his ears.

"Troy, you're an idiot!" She snickered, running her fingers through his soaked chocolate locks. Their stare seemed unbreakable, but Troy ended it by resting his forehead against hers and feeling her long lashes flutter closed against his flesh.

"I don't care, as long as I'm your idiot." He sighed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Gabriella raised her head and stared at him for one last second before pressing her wet lips against his, savoring his natural taste more than she was the last days of high school. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she debated which one she would miss the most when the time came to head off to college. It didn't take her very long to decide. The eyes in front of her didn't give her a choice. They never did.

As well as things were going for Troy and Gabriella, they were arguably better for Brandon and Isabelle. Ever since that Friday night before Spring Fling, their daily phone calls, texts, and IM's made them feel like the other was in the room, sitting beside them and saying the words through their own mouths. This made the distance just that much more bearable until the next time Brandon would crash through the door after school and be greeted by Izzy's starved embrace, telling each other that they loved each other more and more with each passing day. They couldn't care less about their audience, which usually only consisted of Troy, Gabriella, and Troy's parents. Sometimes Gina would drop by and watch her son collaborate with the girl that she had spent about half of her spare time learning about, whether she wanted to or not.

Never in her life had she seen so much passionate need between a teenage couple, even if it was long distance. It was like for the three long weeks that they had to go without each other, they were just barely hanging by a thread and trying to distract themselves from the pain of the other's absence. When the blonde hopped on the plane and rushed into Brandon's life again, it was like watching the life return to a coma patient. Sure, she was happy-go-lucky in front of her friends and family, but never before had anyone seen that forceful a pull that Izzy had for Brandon. It was the same with him. Mike made multiple notes of Brandon's new habit that was performed every time they were about to practice. He would take a deep breath, kiss his promise ring, and mutter "Forever." Isabelle's bright face would appear in front of his eyes and mouth "_I believe in you, Superman."_

Even Chad and Taylor's relationship seemed more appealing to Mr. McKessie nowadays. When Taylor came sprinting up to him in the middle of the week squawking random joys that had Chad eventually pinned against his locker in confusion and slight fear, he thought maybe she had been accepted to that fancy private college that she'd been so giddy about. He never saw the big deal with expensive private schools; he'd applied to one college and one college only: the University of Albuquerque and that was it. It was the only college that he had worked towards. It was the one that he planned to attend since he was eight years-old. He was set and happy.

However, when Taylor broke the news that her father had finally agreed to have Chad over for dinner that night, the teen nearly packed his things and ran to Taylor's treasured college with her.

But as you could probably figure out, the evening was a great success. Mr. McKessie had grown to prove himself wrong about the curly-haired basketball star. He found out that Chad was actually a very kind young man with plenty of dreams for his future, all which included Taylor by his side at all times. This scored him quite a few points with the parents, along with making the red tint creep up his girlfriend's cheeks. It was comments like this that forced the guilt into her system for turning him down on Spring Fling night. The fact that she wasn't ready to give herself to anyone just yet made the remorse a little easier to handle. Hopefully Chad would keep that in mind until she was willing and prepared.

But the best word of all? Since Gina was too busy in the morning, Brandon had asked his dad to keep a close eye on the news reports, keeping his ears open for a certain 22-year old felon that was currently serving 25-30 years in prison for countless charges. Each day, Chase would call his son at the end of the day to report a huge lump of nothing occurring in the big house. Brandon found it much easier to sleep at night when he could close his eyes and smile evilly when he visualized Brick's sorry face behind inescapable metal bars.

Yes, life was pretty much perfect for the 13 seniors. And it was about to get even better for one of them.

It was towards the end of Brandon's shift at the ASD and as he was surfing through his gym bag to locate his water bottle, a deep, masculine voice made itself known from behind him. "Brandon Montez?"

Brandon spun around and felt his eyebrows come together at the tall figure in front of him. He didn't work at the school, he knew that much, but he must have been high in authority for he was wearing a black suit and carrying a hefty clipboard under his arm. He looked to be in his mid forties with a string of white hair circling his jet black center. His eyes were a sparkling brown and his smile was strangely comforting even though Brandon had never seen him before in his life.

"Yes?" He turned his entire body to the man in front of him and crossed his huge arms across his chest.

"I'm Dale Andrews with Chapman University of the Performing Arts. I'd like to talk to you about your scholarship application."

Brandon had forgotten to screw his water bottle cap back on fully, so when it dropped from his hand it spilled all over the floor. The only way he became conscience of this was Dale's confused head watching the bottle fall to the ground. Brandon quickly bent down and picked it back up.

Dale chuckled. "Don't worry; I've seen much worse reactions. How about we take a seat and talk about your future placement in our dance program?"

Brandon had never beamed so brightly in his life.

--

The door to the Montez house ripped open and Gina jerked from her hunched over position at the kitchen island. Her eyebrows came together when her son tossed his gym bag onto the ground, ran up to his mother, and gripped her shoulders excitedly.

"YOU WILL _NEVER_ BELIEVE WHAT JUST-"

"Whoa!" Gina slapped her hand over Brandon's mouth and shoved him back a few feet until he stopped trying to speak through her hand. He silenced himself, but his eyes were still wider than her amused smile and his barely covered chest was heaving faster than his feet had run through the door.

"Okay, Brandon, what in God's name has gotten into you?" Gina slowly uncovered his mouth and watched the sparkle in his eyes intensify with each passing second. The only other time that he looked this happy was when Izzy accepted the promise ring that he had worked so hard to pay for.

"I got it." He simply muttered. Gina could tell that he was holding back the volume that he had just used moments ago.

"Got what, a disease?"

Brandon ignored her sarcasm and grasped her hands, having his tremble in anticipation. "Mom, a representative from Chapman Academy met with me at work today. He said that he was at the championships, the nationals where we came in fifth, and at Spring Fling. He wanted to talk to me about my scholarship app."

The reality of the situation was finally beginning to dawn on the woman in her late thirties. She gripped Brandon's arms back and let her mouth drop to the ground. "Oh my God, Brandon, you got the-"

"Yes," his entire body vibrated now, "I got a full scholarship to Chapman Academy of the Performing Arts in Orange County, California!"

"BRANDON JOSEPH!!!" Gina just about choked her offspring with her arms of steel and nearly pushed him to the ground with her body weight, but he supported her by leaning against the bar. Brandon's cheerful laugh rang through her ears as she continued. "OH, GOD, I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!"

"Weren't you just the one telling at me to stop screaming?" He teasingly reminded her, but not really caring to begin with.

Gina resurfaced with tears in her eyes. "That was before I knew you got accepted into a private school! Aww, sweetie, this is fantastic! Who all knows?"

"Just you. I was too excited to spill it to the others or Dad at first. I don't think I even know how to break it to them."

Gina's face lit up even more. "I'm about to leave and head out to his general direction anyway. Maybe I could stop by and tell him for you."

Brandon grabbed his mother into his arms again. "Thanks, Mom. That would help a lot."

She nodded. "No problem. You'll probably be tied up on the phone with Isabelle the whole night."

The teen felt his stomach drop in panic and the wind being knocked out of him in a strange guilt. He had totally forgotten about her.

"Izzy. I need to tell Izzy. Thanks, Mom, see you later tonight." With that Brandon rushed up to his room and whipped his phone out of his pocket. He plopped himself on his bed and sat on his free hand, trying not to bite his lip too hard. Even while the phone was ringing, he was planning exactly how the conversation would play out. He would slowly lure her into remembering his application for the school and when she did, she would be in mock denial for a few seconds before flipping crap all over her unsuspecting house. If Brooke or anyone else was there, they would try and steal the phone from her to ask Brandon what he could've possibly told her that would make her react like such a maniac. Finally, she would crash off of her energy high and try not to cry while telling him how proud she was. It would be perfect.

"H-hello?"

"Hey, babe!" It was already getting so hard to contain his excitement; he didn't notice her voice breaking.

"Brandon, I–"

He didn't let her finish. "You won't believe what just happened to me today! Is it possible to get high on life and happiness, because I don't think that even rhinoceros tranquilizer will get me to stop bouncing!"

She didn't seem to be falling into his planned trap. "Brandon, I can't talk right now; I've gotta go."

The smile drifted off of Brandon's lips sadly. "But don't you want to hear my good-"

"Later, Brandon, I can't right now!" The blonde's voice was rising in frustration and what sounded like fear covering up tears. Why would she be crying?

Brandon braced himself against the bed and paused for a few seconds before speaking back up. "Izzy, are you okay?" His voice was filled with nothing but concern. If anything, he forgot all about his scholarship.

He heard her give an exasperated huff before snapping. "The faster you get off the phone, the sooner I'll be fine! Goodbye, Brandon!"

He was speechless now. He didn't even notice how stupid he looked just sitting there and staring at his green wall with an open mouth. Brandon brought the phone in front of his line of vision and stared at it for a little while, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. After ending up with just more confusion, he put it back to his ear.

"Isabelle, what the hell is going-"

"Did you get rid of him?"

Brandon could've sworn that his walls had just caved in and crashed over his frozen body, splintering and stabbing him in the back and plunging into his chest. But he was too frozen to do anything about it. Nothing could make him forget the deep, seductive voice of whatever man was with his girlfriend.

"Y-yeah…" she whimpered back. Brandon cringed when he heard her gasp the same way he did when he had her in bed. The heat from that night seemed to crawl back onto his back.

"Good. Now say my name."

The heat increased, building deeply from his inner core and slowly making itself known to the blood boiling in his veins. Brandon finally realized that this wasn't the passionate, horny heat that he had only experienced once that night eight days ago. No, this was a burn that was all too familiar to him. It was one that he had felt at least once a day for five years straight.

It was the angry, betrayal burn.

Her gasps and moans continued as well as his requests for whatever name he had to escape her lips. Brandon should've said something, anything to let his girlfriend know that he was still capable of hearing this. But he was way too stunned and choked up with rage to even blink.

Finally, the stranger growled. "Say it!"

As soon as Isabelle caved into his request, the cellular device dropped from Brandon's hand. He had tried to prepare himself for whatever name she was about to scream, but this one was the last that he expected.

"JOSH!!!"

The phone made a low thud when it made contact with Brandon's carpet, but he didn't hear it. He didn't hear it flip shut and the call finally end, either. It was too late. The information was already lodged into his head and quickly eating him from the inside out, gathering every promising word of love that his soul mate had ever said to him in the past year. The montage replayed itself over and over in his head before coming to an end with the last name that he had just heard.

Isabelle only knew one Josh, and he was here in New Mexico, in prison. How could he have gotten out? Did someone pay his bail?

And why, might he add, would he go back to Izzy? All he wanted from her was a few minutes of forced pleasure and that was over a year ago. They were the minutes that Brandon had busted his ass trying to prevent for _her_. All for _her_.

Is this how she chose to repay him?

Like a robot, Brandon extended his arm to fetch the phone back into his hands and stared at the screen. It had gone black. He exhaled, closing his eyes. This couldn't be happening. It was all just a stupid day dream that he had to snap out of. He had to prove that that phone call was non-existent and the last person that he had called was his father to check on the news. He was fine.

He was fine until he looked at his call records. Isabelle was the most recent call that he had made for the duration of two minutes and 28 seconds. Their calls were never even close to being that short.

It was like the gunshot all over again: quick, unsuspecting, and excruciating. The heat from Brandon's blood now rose above his skin, trembling his limbs the way it did when Troy used to provoke him in the early days of their war. His grip on the phone became tighter and tighter as if he were trying to squeeze the evidence from the mobile's memory and—most importantly—his own. He could hear the volume control being adjusted crazily and the camera shortcut being activated, taking a random picture of the dresser beside him.

It only helped a little to remember that Gina wasn't home; it gave him the freedom to lean his arm back and then have it snap forward, releasing the phone and listening to it shatter against the wall. Brandon could just barely hear the glass and plastic break into pieces. The loud, ear-splitting scream emitting from his throat prevented most of that chance.

He jumped to his feet and restlessly paced his room with two handfuls of raven hair in his still-trembling hands and tightly clenched teeth. The thoughts were speeding around in his pulsing brain so fast, he semi-expected it to cool it down a little, but all it did was heat up with each new notion he got out of that conversation.

_Why wouldn't she hang up the phone if she knew—did she actually _want_ me to hear that? How could she do this to me after what happened to her in the past? First, her stupid boyfriend before me, then Jo…the one that she's with as I'm thinking this…_

_She's with him again. She's with her attempted rapist. She wants him over me._

He could feel bloody skin begin to collect under his fingernails from squeezing his scalp so hard, but he didn't care. The only reason he let go was because he opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of his favorite—now ex-favorite—picture on the wall. Brandon and Izzy were at Lava Springs during the summer season, soaking wet from the pool and sprinklers. She was hoisted over his back and the both of them were smiling widely in the afternoon glow. It was the same picture that Isabelle had on her nightstand. He winced when her name tore at his breaking heart even more.

The glass frame that the picture used to be protected in was in more pieces than his phone that lay on the floor under it. That would make sense, since he broke a phone before and it didn't make nearly that much noise. Brandon gradually crept up on the broken picture and noticed a few remaining shards of glass around the edges, a few behind _her_ and one in front of Brandon, as if it were about to slice through his chest. He would take that kind of physical pain any day. This mental, psychological, emotional agony was way too much. It was worse than watching Troy walk away from him six years ago, worse than watching Gabriella run away from him after he punched her last year, and he felt as if his life was altered even more than watching Troy tell him the truth after five years of feuding.

Brandon didn't even see what happened for his heart to break. He didn't see what happened for the pressure in his head to build up so much that he roared again, punching a gaping hole through his wall right where _her_ head used to be.

He didn't see what happened to think—to _know_—that Isabelle, his goddess, his angel, and his lifeline, had cheated on him with Josh Greystone.

--

Isabelle lay on her purple and blue bedspread, feeling the soft San Francisco breeze hit her smooth skin through her opened windows. She was only clothed in an extra-tight cami and short-shorts, smelling of fresh body wash from the shower. It was Brandon's favorite scent on her.

_Ah, Brandon…_

The blonde smiled and gazed down at her pink and blue promise ring. Their names fit so well together, like his was the missing puzzle piece that she found after 17 years of ignorant searching. Sometimes she was perfectly happy being alone and saying his name, feeling it roll off of her tongue smoothly. It was one of her favorite pastimes that she was way too embarrassed to tell him about. She knew he wouldn't mind in the slightest, but the mortifying knowledge that he would always be waiting to poke some fun at her for it was a little more than she could handle.

The breeze picked up to a dull wind that raised goose bumps on her skin. After shuddering, Izzy bounced off of her bed and rushed over to her wall where the object of her attention hung lazily: a red and white sweatshirt with the large text "East High Dance" covering the front of it. She grabbed it and threw it over her head, immediately feeling much better in the cold. Brandon's sweatshirt was well-worn, that much was obvious, but it was as if he had worn it so much, some of his past heat was still stuck in between the threads. That and his smell were the first two things that she noticed on the large garment. It was his natural scent, a sweet combination of sweat, vanilla, and a small hint of Hollister. Since it's been in her possession, it was washed quite a few times and yet still held his natural perfume just as strong as it was when he first gave it to her. It was as if he was standing right beside her with his hands around her waist.

Izzy wrapped her arms around herself and, closing her eyes again, sighed. "Hi, Brandon…" She turned and before her foot hit that first step, she felt herself knock into a heated, rock solid body.

Her back hit the wall when she looked up, the first thing that she saw being the huge, 6' mass in front of her supported by massive limbs that resembled a 100-year old tree trunk. The tight black t-shirt over his chest looked ready to burst above his colossal pectorals and firm, muscular shoulders. His lips—the only slim part about him—were slowly slipping into a dangerous grin and his tanned cheeks were lifting along with them. Medium length, chestnut hair was piled on top of his gorgeous head and blowing slightly in the afternoon wind. All of these horrifying features weren't what Izzy was paying attention to.

It was his eyes. His sharp, suspenseful, chocolate brown orbs were falling ever so slowly over her half-dressed body. When they made their way back up to her head, he was grinning cockily.

"Not quite, but I'll be sure to tell him you stopped by."

The shock eventually wore off and Isabelle was somewhat able to speak. "W-who are you?"

The 22-year old man chuckled deeply, his husky bass answering surely. "I'm a friend of Brandon's. He was so worried about you, so I thought it'd be a pretty nice gesture to fly in and…check up on you."

"I'm fine!" she immediately retaliated with defiance in her voice. However, that was the only strong part about her. Her body was cowering away towards the wall.

"Oh, is that so? It seems to me that you could use a little company. Talking to your boyfriend when he's two states over doesn't sound very healthy, now does it?"

The saliva from Izzy's mouth collapsed into her churning stomach as she felt it slam against her ribcage. Or maybe that was her heart, she wasn't sure. "I said I'm fine, now who are you?!"

He grinned again and took a step to her. She slammed back further into the wall. "That doesn't really matter, trust me. You probably don't want to know, anyway."

"What's that supposed to-"

"_He's around 6' tall with brown hair and brown eyes that you will never forget for as long as you live. I've never seen him in anything but a tight black t-shirt and black cargo pants with steel-toe boots. He loves to cross his arms, which brings me to my next point. If a scientist was trying to create a man from scratch and took out Troy's muscles and then mine, that wouldn't be half the weight that he is. He's huge, babe, I'm not kidding. His hands are almost as big as my head. I doubt you need to know this info, but just incase, watch out for yourself when you're alone._

_And whatever you do, don't forget his name. It's short, but it'll help you out if he's ever around."_

Brandon's warning echoed through her head before she could finish her sentence. She nodded after he told her this, but was really laughing on this inside. When would she ever need to know that? If anything, it would give her nightmares.

Well, the nightmare was here, standing directly in front of her with a horrifyingly beautiful grin on his face. His name flashed in Izzy's head over and over again until she gathered up the oxygen to speak.

"You. You're Brick Wolf, aren't you?" The blonde was gradually slipping back into the wall again.

Brick chuckled lowly. "It's nice to know that my name's been getting around, thank you."

Isabelle's first intention was to gulp, but the muscles in her throat seemed to be frozen. All of them were. "What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be in prison."

Brick shrugged as though it was no big deal. "Eh, it was fun for a while, but I eventually just got a little bored with the whole atmosphere and called a friend to help me run. There were too many attempted murders instead of the real thing. Jail's kind of like high school: so many people think that they're cool enough to face the pros and when they finally do," he smiled coyly like he was proud of what he was telling her. "They realize they're nothing more than a bunch of scared little…pussies."

Izzy cringed back when his eyes drifted downward on her body when the last word came out of his mouth.

She could feel the anger come up on her again and, although she knew what the consequence level would be, released a small portion of it. "I'm sure you were scared of the big, bad experts. And I bet you left because they were teasing you to the point where you cried your little eyes out for your dead uncle."

Isabelle reached in the pocket of her shorts before she could see Brick's teasing face drop into a hardened, livid look. She dialed a number, put the phone to her ear, and spoke again. "So let's just see what Brandon has to say about-"

The phone was ripped from her grasp and closed so quickly she didn't have time to look up into Brick's enraged eyes. He sprang forward in half a second and slammed her body against the wall, holding her up by a thick handful of Brandon's sweatshirt. Isabelle's tough façade was stolen just as quickly as it arrived. She knew that it was only a matter of time…

"You wanna run that by me one more time?" he threatened chillingly, slowly pressing his fist against her throat as if he didn't think it was hard enough for her to breathe.

"I-I…" she couldn't get the words 'I'm sorry' out fast enough for his taste. He cut her off before she could attempt any further.

"You think it's hilarious to make fun of someone who I used to idolize and practically live to please? How about I tell you that on my way over here, I paid a little visit to the cemetery and hawked all over your dad's stupid grave? And I pissed on it, just like how he was treated when his ass was alive. Those flowers shouldn't last too much longer."

As difficult a state of mind as she was in right now, she put her fear on hold and paid full attention to not letting her rush of tears fall down her flushed face. The frozen image of her father with five bloody holes in his head on Christmas Eve was on a taunting replay as if begging her to push the cries out for this monster to feed off of. If there was one thing that Brandon had taught her from his battles with Troy, it was to never let your enemy see you cry. It only gave them permission to unleash more pain onto you.

But when Brick slammed her against the wall again and knocked his fist into her throat, she presented him with a strangled cry and an ocean of fear. Her father was her biggest weakness, aside from Brandon. Anytime his name was brought up or the date of his death was spoken, Izzy was illiterate with false happiness for her peers and remorse for her departed parent.

"Now listen," Brick growled "Montez is gonna call back any second now. As soon as he does, you say whatever you have to in order for him to shut up for a few seconds. You'll let him know that there's someone else here, but my name isn't mentioned. Beg him to get off of the phone. If you take too long, I'll finish it off, got it?"

He gripped her tighter when she tried to nod.

Just as he predicted, Brandon's CallerID tone sounded off in Brick's hand. Izzy gulped and stared as his name and picture flashing on the phone's screen. She looked over at Brick one more time for any inkling that he had changed his mind, but there was no such luck. She took the phone in her shaking hands, pressed Talk, and put it up to her ear.

"H-hello?"

"Hey, babe!"

Isabelle held back a disappointed groan when she heard the happiness and excitement in his beautiful voice. "Brandon, I–"

"You won't believe what just happened to me today! Is it possible to get high on life and happiness, because I don't think that even rhinoceros tranquilizer will get me to stop bouncing!" She could've sworn that she heard a hint of an exhilarated squeal raising his voice.

"Brandon, I can't talk right now; I've gotta go." Brick looked her over one more time with her stolen insolence in his eyes. She took that as an approval sign to continue.

"But don't you want to hear my good-"

She tried to ignore the hurt and confusion in his words. The only way that this could ever be achieved was to try and block it out with loudening her voice, which also attempted to stop her scattered nerves. "Later, Brandon, I can't right now!"

"Izzy, are you okay?" Brandon was so sweet. Here he was, forgetting about whatever good news he had and trying to be there for her when all she was doing was being an unnecessary bitch. No one could ever come close to comparing to him.

"The faster you get off the phone, the sooner I'll be fine! Goodbye, Brandon!" Out of the corner of her eye, Isabelle saw Brick's hand flinch towards the phone and her eyes widened. _No, please no,_ she thought to herself desperately, _just a few more seconds with him, please. I need to hear his voice for a little bit longer._

"Isabelle, what the hell is going-"

But that was the end of it. Brick had stolen the phone from her and clicked the End Call button, flipping it to close against his thumb. Isabelle's cyan orbs were too full of tears to notice that Brick hadn't in fact pressed the red button, but the number 3 instead. And he had started closing it slowly, giving him enough time to wait for her to try and blink her tears away and only close it enough that the call was still in progress. He gently placed that hand beside her head and leaned up to her ear, a few centimeters from the phone.

"Did you get rid of him?"

Isabelle noted that for some reason, he had made his voice slightly higher, making him sound more like a teenager. It didn't take her very long to recognize whose voice it sounded like. As memories from her first East High dance replayed in her head, she whimpered. "Y-yeah…"

"Good. Now say my name." Brick was sliding his hand further up her thigh, grazing his fingers across her butt. His hot breath blew over his tongue on her skin and she could already feel the bruise start to form on her neck. Plus his hand was roaming up the back of her cami, where small trickles of nervous sweat were forming. As though the near rape memories were lonely, her and Brandon's special night eight days ago came into play. She couldn't help but close her eyes, visualize Brandon's bare, muscular body hovering over her, and let out a careless moan. But then Brick chuckled and her eyes snapped open. How dare her.

After ten seconds that felt like hours, Brick growled in her ear and order "Say it!"

His arms snapped around her and drew her closer against his rock solid—in _all _areas—middle section. That seemed to be way too much for the blonde. She gasped when her imagination shrunk his arms into a more decent size, but large enough to be the muscles belonging to the star football captain. Again, the past junior's face came to mind when the scream emitted from her throat.

"JOSH!!!"

_No…_

Brick laughed quietly again, tossing the phone on the floor somewhere behind him. "Very good," he purred "Now all we have to do is wait."

"F-for what?" Isabelle didn't even try to hide her terror anymore, or her tears. Both were all too evident on her face, in her eyes.

Brick cocked an eyebrow. "You thought I didn't know that your little clone was here? She should walk through that door any minute now…"

Another mood swing consumed Izzy's mind as she thought of her sweet and innocent, 14-year old sister watching TV downstairs. She always did have the volume too damn loud to hear what was going on in other parts of the house.

Regardless, her motherly instincts broke through her fear as she spat in Brick's face. "Don't you _dare_ touch Sarah or I'll-"

Brick shoved her against the wall again with a sick grin on his face, his lips close enough to hers so she could taste his breath. "What, tell your lawyer mommy on me? Sweetie, my number of hit-and-run cases is higher than whatever pathetic divorce group that she's trialed. I don't think your little Barbie threat will do much good except involve more people than this has to. Capiche?"

Another defense down. Olivia wouldn't be touched either, even if Isabelle had to. She'd make sure of it.

"Izzy, I'm leaving!"

Isabelle's head turned towards the direction of her closed door. She didn't even notice the sound of the TV ending and the running car outside. Sarah was spending the night at a friend's house, she just remembered. Brick's final distraction was leaving. And there was nothing that she could do about it.

Izzy gulped away the hesitation and called back in a weak voice, trying to let her sister know that everything was fine. "O-okay. Have fun." _"Don't leave me, please…"_

The front door opened and closed in two seconds. Sarah was gone, leaving Isabelle alone with the criminal that seemed to get more and more aroused by the minute. She would feel nothing but pain, she knew it.

Brick's throat rumbled in a satisfied snicker again. "It's just you and me now. What to do, what to do…" His nose trailed along her jaw line and down her collarbone, down to the peak of her breasts. She swallowed back the growing lump in her throat.

It didn't work for long. The lump returned and brought tears with it. Her voice was shaky when she spoke again. "W-why are you doing this?"

Brick's hands were searching her body again, his fingers running across her smooth skin that was raised with goose bumps. He smiled again. "I think you can thank your boyfriend for it. And when you do, ask him this:"

He leaned up to her ear and made sure to slide his tongue across the lobe. "Who's the psycho bitch now?"

With that, his lips came down hard on Isabelle's and forced her mouth wide open to allow him access into her throat. He heard her choking from the lack of oxygen, but he couldn't care less. Her body vibrated against him in complete and total horror while he grabbed Brandon's sweatshirt and tore it off of her body in multiple directions, ripping it to shreds. Brick kept her quiet with his violent kiss and sharp teeth that captured her tongue between them. She couldn't utter a sound just when it mattered the most.

He wasted no time in finishing off the stripping of what little coverage that she had. Within 30 seconds, she was exposed against him, baring her all for him to ogle over. Isabelle didn't know whether or not to crush herself against him in order to hide herself the best she could or to inch away as far as possible. Neither would've helped, she soon realized. Both would just get him more excited.

Brick held her up with one hand as he stepped out of his pants and boxers, throwing them back with his foot. He pried her legs open, wrapped them around his brawny waist, and whispered in her ear one last time.

"Who do you want right now?"

She could feel him against her center, wishing that someone, anyone would hear this from the bathroom and bust through the door to kick him away from her. Izzy wanted her clothes thrown back to her without being checked out anymore than she has been and she wanted someone to tell her to run into her first cousin's safe, strong arms to carry her home. The sense of déjà vu on this wish didn't surprise her in the slightest.

There was only one person in the world that she wanted with her right now. It wasn't Brooke, it wasn't her mom, and it wasn't even her father.

She prayed to God that her boyfriend, the perfect and invincible Brandon Joseph Montez would fly through the door like her own personal Superman and tell her that everything was okay. But he wasn't here. He was two states over, just like Brick had pointed out. And there was no point in wishing him here because he would never hear her screams.

Isabelle inhaled a long, sharp breath and threw her head back, screaming the only remaining name in her vocabulary.

"BRANDON!!!"

--

He didn't close the window when he left, letting the icy breeze gush into her room like shards of glass against a water balloon. It shredded her sensitive skin, which was covered in a frozen sweat. She wasn't sure which was hers and the perspiration that was transferred from him, but she didn't care. It didn't matter. No matter what the statistics were, she still felt like a lying, cheating whore. And nothing could ever wash that away.

Isabelle sat curled up in the corner of her bedroom, naked and bleeding with her knees under her chin. She rocked back and forth while staring ahead of her, the tears covering every inch of her face by multiple layers of moisture. Her own clothes lay piled in tatters around the room, but she didn't pay attention to them. Those could be replaced easily.

What she was staring at couldn't.

Brandon's sweatshirt, the one that he had worn for almost a year and stained with his natural scent and warmth before handing it over to her, was ruined. It was as if it were paper that had gone through a shredder. There was nothing she could do to save it, she knew that, but it didn't comfort her in the slightest. The only person that would ever soothe the black hole that she called her soul was probably sulking on his bed, wondering what in the hell was wrong with his angel. What he didn't know was that the heavenly figure that Brandon had made a habit of calling her had just had sex with the man that had preyed on him for about a year now. Brick had forced himself into Isabelle and taken every shred of dignity and self-respect that she had in her. He was merciless during his vicious thrusts that left her bleeding, even though she wasn't a virgin beforehand. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Izzy knew that Brick had purposely not used any form of protection. She would have to deal with that after she had chiseled out of this iceberg of a mind.

Time was a dead factor to her now, but the clock on the wall showed that 45 minutes had passed since Brick had gently dropped her to the floor, redressed his lower region, and kissed her quivering lips one last time. She swore that she heard him laughing while jumping out of her window. As for her crawling to the corner, that memory had departed from her remembrance as well.

Isabelle carelessly got to her hands and knees and couldn't help taking her time getting to the remains of the sweatshirt. Bowing over the torn fabric, she stretched a shaking hand in front of her face and ran her uncontrollable fingers over a random slice. The only sound that came from her when she realized that this was the back of the shirt was a high-pitched whimper from the base of her throat. Large capital white letters reading "MONTEZ" seemed to ridicule at her broken body, as if saying _"It was your fault! You could've called the cops, stopped Sarah from leaving, or told Brandon who the fuck was here! You're such a stupid slut! You're no different from Tori!"_

She couldn't agree more.

Isabelle lowered her eyes to her promise ring and just welled up further. It was twisted on her finger so that only Brandon's name was visible. The stone was damaged, chipped probably from Brick slamming her hand into the wall. It was dimmed, like how Brandon's eyes got when he was upset over something important. The small metal framing was bent and a little crooked to force part of the stone out of the frame. It was as if there was tons of pressure being added on the stone until it finally had to snap and cut its way out of the framing. She didn't know why, but it reminded her of a very violent, painful process. This just proved to her that she was going insane.

Isabelle gathered the sweatshirt shards in her arms and laid her wet face in them, finally becoming aware of her tears and the amount that were falling down her sickly cheeks. She gasped and tried to inhale as much of his scent and warmth as possible, but Brick seemed to take that as well. He either took every good thing that had to do with her relationship or damaged it violently. How he could sleep at night knowing that he lived to break people's lives into as many pieces as the sweatshirt, she would never know.

She continued crying into the night, killing the clock in her head again, and mourning over the loss of her favorite memories, self-respect, and—eventually—trust from her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, Brandon," Isabelle choked, rocking back and forth again. "Please forgive me, I'm so sorry. I need you here, please, I can't do this. I love you and I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"

She saw what happened for her heart to break. She felt what happened to make her wrap her arms around herself and wail loudly in her room for her Superman to help her out of this black hole that her entire being had become.

Isabelle saw what happened to know that she had just been heartlessly raped by Brick Wolf.

* * *

**Ah, the recurring returns of everyone's favorite asswipe, lol. How did I do for Brick's biggest, boldest attack at the gang? What's Brandon going to do about his assumption that Izzy cheated? And how, might I ask, is the gang going to react when word gets out about this?**

**Is this Brick's only payback at Brandon? I wouldn't be so sure about that…**

**REVIEW!!! Thanks :)**

**~Rachel :)**

**P.S: Again, sorry if the rape didn't turn out quite right. That was my first time writing about it that directly. The others were just in subtle convos that didn't really give away that much detail.**


	28. Closed Distance

**I really didn't think I would ring in the new year still writing this damn story, lol. But it only gets better from here, so I'll keep updating throughout 2010 (hopefully being done with it before June)**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! LET'S NOT GO BACK TO SCHOOL!!!**

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* * *

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**Chapter 27 – Closed Distance**

"Have you heard from him yet?"

"No, not since school. I'm starting to get worried."

Troy and Gabriella sat curled up on the Montez living room couch, completely tangled up in each other's comforting embrace. The soft patter of spring rain created the soundtrack for their romantic night together, dripping from the rooftop and trailing down the windows in some sort of rhythmic pattern. It created a strange type of music in Troy's head, replaying itself over and over while he ran his fingers through his lover's hair to express it. Her hands placed themselves in his lap, but her last intention was to turn him on. Physical relations were the last thought on her mind at the moment. Her brain was only stuffed with worry for one specific person.

"I don't get it," Gabriella moaned into his chest. "He gets a full scholarship to an amazing private school, goes straight into telling my mom about it, and then just starts acting like it was stolen away from him. Is he suddenly bipolar and not telling us about it or something?"

She felt Troy shrug against her cheek. He sighed before speaking into her hair. "Maybe he just needs a little time to himself. I mean, that _was_ a lot to take in at once. He could be in shock."

Gabriella tilted her head upward and drew her eyebrows together. "He looked like he was about to bust out crying and then beat the living shit out of every Josh he saw in the hallway. That's our French teacher's name and Brandon broke his pencil in half trying not to get up and kill him."

Troy's eyebrow arched. "Maybe he just hates Josh's now, I don't know."

Gabriella huffed and pulled herself away from him. "Do you take this seriously at all? My twin brother—your best friend—is in a rut and you're treating it like a joke!"

"I'm sorry, but I say we wait for it to pass. His did say that he's got a bunch of work in Calculus; I'm guessing that he's just a little overwhelmed." He sat back in the couch again, crossing his arms. "And God knows that neither of us can help him with that…"

Gabriella's shoulders fell in semi-defeat as she leaned against her boyfriend again. "I hate when this happens…"

"Me too," Troy planted a lazy kiss on her forehead. "But he'll get over it, I know he will. He always does."

They continued through the night in the same silent, anxious state that they started in. Gabriella began biting her nails in a fearful manner and tapping her fingers against Troy's knee absentmindedly, trying to decipher what her brother's problem was. Troy kept trailing his fingers through her hair and running them down her cheek every once in a while thinking of nothing in particular. Of course he thought about what could be upsetting his best friend so much, but he stuck true to his word and tried to make up a countdown in his head for when Brandon would bounce back.

"What I want to know," Gabriella spoke up again. "Is why he's mad at everybody named Josh. Is he having some kind of relapse from that dance last year?"

Troy paused in his finger-combing, then started back up. "That would make sense except for the part where it's extremely random. What would set that off?"

"Or _who_ would set it off. You think Greystone made some kind of contact with Brandon?"

"I don't see why or how because Josh never had his number. They were never friends or anything, so unless he got it from someone else, that wouldn't work. The only other thing I can think of is if Brandon had one of his slow moments and went to visit someone in prison."

Gabriella was confused again. "Who could he possibly want to visit in jail? He gets jumpy whenever we drive by the place."

"Like I said, it was a slow moment. He barely came out of his room yesterday; maybe he was making a new pen pal."

She growled again, pinching him on his strong bicep. "Are you ever going to be serious?"

Troy held his free hand up in a tired defeat and ignored the sharp pain that shot through his arm from her fingernails. "How else am I supposed to express my confusion? I spent all of my energy trying to get him to talk to me. When I stopped him in the hallway and tried to get him to look me in the eye, he looked like it was killing him from the inside out and took off down the hall."

Gabriella pursed her lips, somewhat glad that her boyfriend had put some honest effort into this conversation. "That's funny. He looked into my eyes perfectly fine. And I saw him staring at Amy in French."

"So he hates me now?"

"I don't think we should go to those extremes, Troy. If that were the case, he wouldn't have gotten into the car with you for school this morning."

Troy felt his muscles begin to relax from his only half-sarcastic question and sighed. "Maybe Izzy can help sort out whatever's got him pissed off. Those two put mind readers to shame."

Gabriella adjusted herself on his iron stomach and began fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt, letting her fingers purposely graze his firm sides. Troy closed his eyes and shuddered. "I wouldn't be so sure about that one. Her mom called yours yesterday saying that Izzy wouldn't come out of her room either. When I tried telling Brandon, he looked the same way he did last year before he hit me. I think the only thing stopping him this time was his increased self-control."

Troy tried his best to block out the photographic memory images of his miracle dashing up to him on the bridge, soaked from her cheeks to the bottom of her shirt with fresh blood and tears. He couldn't let himself remember those pictures for more than a second every month or two. Any longer than that and he would steal back his forgiveness for Brandon and start a feud with him all over again. "That doesn't sound normal."

"I know. He didn't even let me get finish saying Isabelle's name."

"He didn't call to see what was wrong with her?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Not that I know of. He left his phone in the kitchen all day yesterday and put it back there after school today. I checked it and Izzy's tried to call him 38 times in less than an hour. I'm guessing he has yet to get back to her for a reason."

Troy stayed silent for a moment, piling this information to see which pieces fit together the best in this puzzling problem. Some of them went collectively a little too well in places nobody in the gang would want.

"_He can't look into my eyes without dying inside—they match Izzy's perfectly. He didn't come out of his room, even for his precious phone to return all those calls. And he refuses to even hear her name?"_

If it were any other girl but Isabelle, he thought, he wouldn't be surprised at the answer that he eventually came up with. Gabriella must have been thinking the exact same way to make them say it aloud in unison.

"They got into a fight."

"Son of a bitch…" Gabriella stared at the doorway absentmindedly with her eyes and mouth matching their span apart. "Troy, there's no way. They _never _fight!"

Troy seemed just as pitifully confused. "I know. It must have happened when he called her about the scholarship. How the hell can a fight break out from _that_?"

"She must have said something. He's the angry one and she seems to want to apologize. Still…"

"What could she have said? The worst I can think of is 'what'd you do, pay them to let you in?'. Plus, no matter how much she makes fun of him for something, Brandon never gets mad."

"Exactly. They have one of the most unique relationships I've ever seen. There's absolutely no anger between them."

A random light suddenly dawned in Troy's tired eyes and made him stop his air flow for a quick second. Before Gabriella could notice, he started back up again and shared his sensible thought with her. "Maybe that's a problem. A couple has to fight sometimes in order to function. A bunch of stuff could have built up between them and one of them just exploded. I'm betting my money on Sherlock for that last one."

Gabriella's head cocked to the side and for once, she didn't scold Troy on his sarcasm. This time it actually made sense. "You think so?" She tilted her head upward and stared into his soft eyes. They were darker from his drowsiness with light purple lines beginning to form under his lids. His shoulders were slumped and his hair was tussled from his habit of running his hands through it when he was getting sleepy. Still, Troy Bolton was the most beautiful man that she had ever seen in her entire life no matter what condition he was in. She would take her first and only love over a male model any day.

He nodded sluggishly. "Mhmm. If all they argue about is whether Three Days Grace or Simple Plan is better, that should've automatically told us that they were headed for trouble."

"So what do we do? We don't want one of them to give up and…" The next two words were caught in her throat as if her brain were telling her not to think such things. Brandon and Isabelle went together as well as a fish to water; they needed each other in order to survive. The relationship was like black with any other color: anything went and nobody complained. They would be together forever, everyone knew that. This was just a tiny glitch that all couples went through.

Troy sighed again, sinking further and further back into the couch. "I don't know about you, but I'm hoping to dream up a plan. Maybe the insides of my eyelids can tell me what to do."

Gabriella whined and fixed herself on his lap. "Troy Bolton, don't you dare leave me here by myself!"

His eyes were no longer open. No matter how much Gabriella pleaded for him to stay awake and help entertain the confusing and slightly painful thoughts going through her mind, she knew there was no point. Troy had already lost half of his consciousness. She was lucky if he even got her last words.

"It's just sleep, babe," He proved her wrong by replying. "I didn't get any last night."

"Why not?"

Troy shrugged. "Nightmares; blast from the past, if you wanna get specific. It was like a collage of bad memories."

"Which ones?"

He seemed to let out a combination of a chuckle and an annoyed groan. "The first fight between Brandon and I, Izzy almost getting raped by Josh, Brandon running away, Brandon getting shot…" Troy's voice was fading out and his head was falling even further back into the plush couch. Gabriella wasn't sure whether or not he was talking in his sleep.

"That's not good, Troy. Troy, wake up!" She nudged her boyfriend on the shoulder and his eyes slit open. The cerulean color was just bright enough to shine through his lids and cast a perceptible, brilliant glow through the darkness. The gleam was much brighter in Gabriella's eyes as it always was.

"Calm down, babe. You'll be fine for a few minutes."

"What makes you so sure I'll fall asleep, too?"

He had definitely lost a large percentage of his consciousness within those short few seconds. The gleam had disappeared behind his eyes' fleshy covers, leaving Gabriella with a strange, depressing sense of loss and slight abandonment. This was strange, considering the fact that she usually felt peaceful watching her lover in his innocent—and usually much-needed—slumber. Her frown deepened.

"Because," he nearly mouthed, "if you worry your pretty little head off, you won't be able to…"

And he was gone. Gabriella slumped back against the couch and crossed her arms, knowing that she would be unable to wake him back up. It was useless. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and tried to hold back the annoyance from his desertion, getting so lost in her task that she didn't hear the car engine cut off suddenly from the driveway. The front door slammed open and a familiar pair of footsteps thundered throughout the kitchen.

Gabriella didn't know whether or not to cringe back in slight fear or to jump up and run to who she knew was coming into the house. It was Tuesday, 6:00 in the evening. He was right on schedule. She didn't know why she was surprised.

"Hey, Brandon." Gabriella cautiously called, squeezing Troy's unconscious arm for moral support. "How was wor-"

She could've had all the support that she wanted, but nothing could reassure her after receiving the look that her twin brother was currently giving her. Brandon's eyes were flat black, identical stones buried deep within his sockets surrounded by miles and miles of ferocious fire. His muscular limbs were unusually stiff, much like Gabriella's suddenly dead airways and the black fabric that was covering his chest was rising and falling much too quickly for her taste. Only on multiple occasions did Brandon ever breathe that swiftly and none of them were good ones. Either he was preparing for a chronic breakdown or a major smack down.

Brandon's fingers were already coiled into menacing fists, but the second he viewed Troy's sleeping form in his sister's grasp, they tightened to an even paler, unhealthy white. Even though he was about ten feet away, Gabriella could plainly see this cause his entire body to begin trembling. If the devil himself was sitting beside Gabriella, he would've run away from the house in a heartbeat. No, she changed her views. This _was_ the devil, possessing Brandon's body and filling him with all of this unnecessary hatred. That had to be the only reason for any of this. She wouldn't take any other excuse, but still descended further into the sofa.

And then, with his jaw locked firmly and nostrils flared like an enraged bull, he vanished. His feet took off up the stairs and not even a second after that his door rumbled the entire house with an alarming slam. Gabriella sighed sadly and let her head fall into her hands.

Whatever was troubling him and his girlfriend had to resolve itself soon or she had a feeling that things would just spiral out of control from there. But why should she worry? Again, it was that kind of thinking that would jinx the entire situation and cause extreme karma on the couple. That was the last thing that they seemed to need.

Brandon and Isabelle would work it out. Everything was going to be just fine.

--

Twenty-five groans of pain, annoyance, and mostly relief echoed off the walls of East High's huge gym when Brandon announced the ending of that day's practice. The team had hoped that after Monday's session of Hell, their captain would've gotten over whatever made him the new Hitler of them all. Honestly, what made him think that he could blow up at one wrong foot placement in a brand new routine that Coach Hilson unleashed on them? The moves were complicated enough; they didn't need any of this unneeded criticism coming from someone who wasn't performing them correctly either. Usually, Brandon would put his all into this activity, letting his soul tell him how to move his body and his heart to let go of his self-control and just get lost in the music. It was the biggest reasons that they had voted him captain after just one day of rejoining the team.

Now, the horrifying ghost of Robbie Keelson from the state championships had finally come back to haunt them. Brandon's hips moved way too sharply and his feet—normally light as feathers landing on clouds—stomped onto the wooden ground so hard no one was sure whether or not he had punctured holes in it. His anger blared louder to everyone than the sound system blasting directly in their ears. Darbus's class had to be more bearable than this torture and anytime someone resorted to that thought, they knew that they were in trouble.

The weary teens filed out of the gym trying to hold back their aggravated mumbles until Brandon was out of earshot. Once he was, the comments flew faster than their feet in trying to get out of that place.

"What's up _his_ butt?"

"He wouldn't be the first guy I knew to get his friggin' period…"

"I can't believe he had the nerve to call me flatfooted and stiff! _I'm_ stiff?! I can't be any stiffer than whoever's genital organ he's got shoved up his—"

"Give him a break, Christie," Mike sighed, running a hand through his dirty blond hair, "He's probably just been having some…issues lately. I don't want to judge anything in case something gets back to him."

"They can't be any worse than the issues I'll give him…"

Meanwhile, Brandon was keeping his place in their discreet plan and staying put in the gym. Even the alone time that he was begging for during the entire practice didn't seem to be enough to calm his still-hyperactive nerves. An entire weekend had passed since the misleading incident and unfortunately, Brandon's tension had just risen to the point that for the first time in over a year, he stamped to the gym, grabbed a pair of boxing gloves, and let the punching bag have it. It had been a while since he had to practice beating the life out of someone, but Brandon had more sense than his rage could ever understand. He hit a girl once; never in his natural born life would he allow himself to be so stupid and careless again. When Isabelle was brainless enough to show her face in Albuquerque again, he promised himself that he would try to control himself as much as he possibly could. But he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to hold his razor-sharp tongue from unleashing enough anger to make her feel the ragged wound in his heart.

Isabelle would suffer from this. Brandon's only regret was her having Josh to lean on.

The familiar clatter of heels sounded through the hollow room and Brandon sighed, throwing his head back. He clenched his jaw and growled. "If that's Christie, I'm not re-showing you that move right now. Go home."

Instead of the smooth, sexy voice that belonged to Brandon's talented teammate, someone sweetly cleared their throat after halting their feet on the floor.

Brandon knew that students often hung around outside the gymnasium doors and watched the dancers perform their amazing routines. Some of them even came in packs of up to ten or twelve cheering them on.

But none of them, not even a ridiculous group, made his mouth drop as low as his private visitor just had.

Short black heels, blue jeans, and one of Brandon's grey Aeropostale hoodies complimented by undone blonde waves and a clean face never looked so beautiful. Most men wouldn't bother to look past the baggy, exhausted sapphire eyes that stared right back into all of Brandon's soul, but for a split second, he did. He always did every time this somehow broken angel came back into his sight—which wasn't supposed to be for another two weeks.

How could she be his angel after Saturday? How could she stand there, all innocent and holding her hands behind her back with a ghost of a relieved smile on her tempting lips…

_Stop it, Brandon!_

"What are you doing here?" Brandon noted how much the random voice that filled the crispy air sounded like his own. Her reply reminded him that it was in fact him spitting the phrase out.

Isabelle flinched at her boyfriend's tone, but she swallowed nervously before moving the hair out of her tired eyes and spoke up in a small murmur. "I…uh…had to talk to someone and you were-"

"Your back-up when you ran out of people to run to," Brandon rudely cut her off and shrugged. "Good to know." He shoved past her and grabbed his book bag from the bleachers, refusing to turn back around.

If Isabelle thought she was confused before, Brandon's reaction to her unannounced arrival stole the prize. She predicted to be in his arms by now, bonded to his lips with tears running down her pale skin. Nowhere in the plan was she to be standing there like a bumbling fool, blinking at the far wall. "No?" Isabelle turned around and finally sighed when she realized that he was still there. "Brandon, listen, something happened and I honestly think that you deserve to know."

Brandon clenched his teeth and zipped up his bag, still rejecting the fact that he had to settle the internal issues that led right back to her. "You don't have to explain anything. I already know what happened, so just leave it alone."

Isabelle's eyes brightened a bit as she knocked out a huge chunk of the plan she'd been concocting the entire time she was writing the emergency leave note to her mom and flying to New Mexico. Catching the cab took some effort, though, when she discovered the driver was a young brunette with a curt voice and beefy arms. Her phone's wallpaper, a clear shot of the couple locking lips during Spring Fling kept her from losing nerve within the memories of that horrific night two days ago.

"Oh, you do? Thank God, then that'll make this so much easier. Listen, I know that it must've given you some negative thoughts about us, but I just want you to know that all of it meant absolutely nothing to me. He obviously came onto me." The blonde felt stupid for pointing out that obvious quota. Rape usually consists of only one person willingly taking part. Of course Brick came onto her. What kind of idiot would think otherwise?

Brandon snapped around and crossed his immense arms. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Her share of confusion had long since run out. "What are you talking about?" She took a small step towards him, but he backed away quicker than the next words that fell from his mouth.

"Hmm," He sarcastically pondered the thought. "I don't know. Why don't you go as the guy you were fucking over the phone?!"

"Wha-"

"_Did you get rid of him…good, now say my name…say it!"_

Brick's slightly higher voice squeaked between her ears, sharing a space in her memory for Josh's face. Josh…Isabelle's mistaken moans of fear…

Holy mother Mary…

"Oh my God," she gasped in a whisper. "Oh my God, no! No, no, no, Brandon, listen to me! I wasn't-"

He wasn't having any of it. "Just grow up and admit it! You were bored and lonely, so you decided to have a little fun and screw some guy who—by the way—wasn't your boyfriend! Are you really that ignorant and stupid? You thought it'd be cool if you played with my head then run off?!"

He was less than a foot away from her face now, his fists clenched at his side and his chest pumping oxygen faster than her worry was falling through her system. Ignoring his sweet breath being blown into her nose, she squealed. "I was _raped_, Brandon!!! I was violated! Someone snuck into my house and took advantage of me! You think I would cheat on you after all we've been through?!"

Brandon's dance instincts took effect right then, sliding his feet back far enough for him to throw his wide arms in the air and not smack her in the face. "We've been through _nothing_, Isabelle! Just a little distance, that's it! It's not the end of the world! All the action that's happening is right here, in Albuquerque! You live in California where you're safe and free to do whatever and _whoever_ your little heart desires!"

"Brandon, stop and listen to me!" Isabelle was desperate now, grabbing his arm and digging her nails into his smooth skin. She knew he would make a huge effort to get her off of him, which she wasn't letting happen. "I would never do anything to hurt you! I love you!"

Too bad his rage gave him enough physical strength to disregard the sparks flying through his body from her contact and violently rip her hand off of his arm. He felt as if the patch of skin that she had just touched would burn off his bones as he hissed. "You don't know what love is! It's not just a few hugs and kisses; it's a true feeling that you get the second you look at someone! I gave you every single speck of myself to you, hell, I gave you my virginity! That's not just something that you give away to a random person!"

"I know! You were my first time, too!"

Brandon's voice was calmer now, quieter, despite the vibration resonating through his muscular neck. He subconsciously transferred his hatred into his piercing eyes. Isabelle backed away slowly. "For some reason, I'm finding that very hard to believe. But I'm actually telling the truth and you were the very first person that I've ever touched like that! Do you know why I had sex with you before marriage?"

The distinct, familiar sense of defeat was hanging in front of Isabelle's eyes. She shrugged and let the tears dictate her eyes and voice. "Because you love me enough…"

"Exactly!" He advanced on her again. "Isabelle, I'm the first guy in my family to do that! I was skeptical because I didn't want to break the tradition in my family, but I thought that we were actually going to have a future together. My dad lost his virginity to my mom on their honeymoon, my grandpa lost it to my grandma, my great-grandpa and grandma and so on for three more generations! Gabby and I are the first ever, do you know how that feels? That's why I'm trying to hide it from my mom, because she'd didn't want me to give myself away to some little whore who just wanted me as a one-night stand!"

The word 'whore' slashed at her heart more than anything, but Isabelle tried her very best to ignore it and push her point further. Why wouldn't he believe the obvious truth that Brick was the one behind all of this? "Brandon, why don't you believe me?!" She was desperate again. "If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have wasted all my money on plant tickets to come and see you once a month just for two days! I would've shut up to Brooke already about you! I wouldn't have printed out half of your Facebook pictures and hung them in my room, my locker, and my closet! Come _on_, Brandon! You're the only one and nothing, no one, will _ever_ change that! What about our promise rings?" She held up her left ring finger to show off her damaged, but still-shining ring.

But just as Isabelle was about to smile when she saw his left arm move up, the slight happiness was stolen from her when he brought his idea into focus. His finger, previously dressed with a sparkling silver promise ring, now sported a pale line running around the bottom perimeter of it. The ring was gone. "What about them?"

He might as well have grabbed her by the throat and strangled the life from her weak body. She actually started praying for something like that to happen; maybe it would snap her back into two and a half days ago when she felt as though nothing could pull her from bliss and breathe again. Who cares about oxygen? If what Isabelle suddenly saw coming was about to happen, she didn't want it. Life was pointless after today.

"Brandon…" Isabelle attempted to choke out, but the word came out in broken pieces, matching her now crumbling heart.

Brandon sneered without hesitation. "My name has never sounded so ugly."

"Brandon, I'm sorry!" she wailed, feeling the tears hit her bare toes over and over again. A few landed on her unstable knees as well.

Isabelle eventually gathered the meager strength to look up and lose her breath again when Brandon's black, foreign marbles automatically met hers. The natural pull that always managed to find them, even when they weren't together, came to play one last time to act as a magnet. Brandon's eyes worked as Isabelle's personal TV and replayed every single amazing moment that the couple had shared during their relationship. Even when they were just friends for a week before saying those three magical words, she remembered it all. Every word, every touch, every breath that they both put into the resilient bond was thrust back onto her shoulders and crushing her before anything was completely official in words.

"No," He managed to cut her off again in a disappointed whisper. "Isabelle, _I'm_ sorry. I'm sorry that I ever trusted you to help me carry this long distance relationship on our shoulders only to let it fall and break like this."

Just as she thought. This had happened too many times before to fool her into fantasy. No matter how much she wanted to be in that place of heaven and perfection, where nothing was ever wrong with them, she couldn't go back there again. Getting kicked out back into reality would only make it hurt that much more. It would probably kill her faster.

"Please. Please, d-don't do this…" She lurched forward, searching for any part of him to stabilize her through her blurry eyes, but he stepped back.

"Too late. We're over, Isabelle. I'm done."

Brandon didn't stick around to watch her fall to her hands and knees, silent and void of all emotion except disbelief. The breath was like Velcro against her throat and—thanks to prior knowledge—she knew that not hearing her heart beat in her chest wasn't good. The still air suddenly turned to hail and sliced the goose bumps right off of her skin. Her fingers curled around themselves, shaking violently, and dug into her palm. Isabelle couldn't feel the blood trickling onto the wooden floor. She couldn't even feel the walls shiver from Brandon slamming the door behind him, locking out whatever remaining concern he had left in him for her.

He had no idea how long he stood outside those doors, listening for any sign that Isabelle was still alive after that blow. Brandon didn't let himself give a sigh of relief when her wrecked sobs reached his ears. They were muffled, hidden behind her knees he bet. His teeth clenched along with his fists to keep from turning around to look through the window. He couldn't be weak. _She_ was weak, that much was obvious. _She_ was always weak. Hopefully, none of it had rubbed off on him during the course of their relationship.

It had to have been at least forty-five minutes that he lingered in the building after tearing her down. His car was the only one left in the student parking lot when he walked out. Again, Brandon blocked out the questions about how _she_ was going to get anywhere. There was no way she would go back to Troy's. _She_ probably couldn't pass the Montez house without having some kind of breakdown. It didn't give him the comfort that he was looking for to not care.

Maybe comfort wasn't what he needed right now. It wasn't what he deserved. What he needed was a way out, a way to forget the rest of the regrets pouring into his conscious. Hopefully, one of his pissed-off friends could help him.

Brandon ripped his sharp keys out of his pocket and quickly boarded the car, not noticing the thin trail of blood that he left along the steering wheel—or the small cuts in his left pointer and middle fingers.

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**How many people caught the last bit of foreshadowing in that last sentence? And during Troy's description of his nightmares? Next chapters are gonna be good ones...**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**


	29. Alone Once Again

**This took me forever to do, so please forgive me for the long-ass update time (again). I just wanted to get this as good as it could get.**

**Another thing: A bunch of you WILL be confused by the very beginning. I wrote a preface to GFN a little while ago and this is in reference to it. It won't really make that much sense to you if you don't think about it in contrast to the first story, but I'm just warning you. If you want the preface, tell me and I'll add it as the second chapter to GFN. Now that you actually know what the hell's going on with Troy, Wolf, and Brandon, it should be a little easier to figure out :]**

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**Chapter 28 - Alone Once Again**

_It never ended. If anything, it was getting deeper and deeper with every inch he pushed on. And, if possible, it was getting darker. He didn't know how he could've ever judged that; it wasn't like he remembered what the sun actually looked like. He couldn't remember what anything pleasant looked—or felt—like anymore. Just the occasional sweet scent of roses, eventually bursting into flames and filling his lungs with even more black dust._

_As usual, drowsiness began to consume his body, limb by limb, until he was practically weeping in distress. Sleep had become an unfamiliar blessing as well. No matter how tired he got, he was never able to close his eyes for hours on end and just let his brain shut down. It was impossible. Even if all the noise was cut from the invisible background, his subconscious never got the chance to take hold. Even if the whispers of the wind silenced, the rats scurrying away from him in the tunnel stopped, and the thumping of his heart deceased, he could never-_

Ding, dong.

_He could never muster the courage to sit his weary behind against a sharp rock, lay his head down, close his eyes, and-_

Ding, dong.

_Oh, for Christ's sake, WHAT?!_

Ding, dong, ding, dong, DING!

"I'M COMING!!!"

Troy was pulled from yet another daily nap nightmare by the front door blaring endlessly in his ears. Throwing the thin blanket off of him annoyingly, he stood from the couch and stretched his tense muscles. He nearly made his tongue bleed when the doorbell rang again and mumbled a violent thought that his mother definitely wouldn't approve of. Neither would Gabriella.

The visitor at the door, though, would probably just laugh in his face. But that wasn't the first thought that popped into his brain when Troy opened the door. Instead, he stumbled backwards after rubbing his eyes and breathlessly shrieked. "Holy shit!"

"Long time, no see, Hoops," Brick replied, humored, with his signature arms crossed at his expanded chest. "How ya been, buddy?"

Troy involuntarily took notice of his teeth having a sudden attraction to each other and forced them to freeze the best he could. Before replying, he disguised himself shaking his bed-hair into his petrified eyes by trying to shift his head from side to side, as if looking for someone to share his disbelief.

"What…" he panted, "w-why are you at my house?"

Brick shrugged, tilting his head up to the roof and 'checking out the old, fading paint job' "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd just swing on by," He locked eyes with Troy again and noted the messy, uncontrollable mop and dull, baggy eyes atop his pale face. "Wow, not even _my_ hangovers are this bad. Or is Gabriella just wearing you out 24/7?"

The second he heard Gabriella's name in Brick's chary voice, the sleepiness oozed from Troy's body in the form of deep growls and was replaced with nothing but chaste anger. "Fuck you. And what the hell are you really doing here, Wolf? You're supposed to be behind bars serving 20-30."

Brick stopped, the slit in his eyes getting a little thinner and the grin on his mouth a little less controlled. The slight vibration of his monstrous frame informed Troy that he was holding back a laugh. "They ran out of soap."

"Lovely."

"Fine," Brick chuckled one last time. "You wanna know why I'm here?"

Troy rolled his eyes and suppressed a yawn. "The quicker you tell me, the sooner I'll be back to sleep."

"That might be a bit difficult after today." The suspiciousness was back.

"Why, are you kidnapping me?" Troy's question came out in an obvious combination of extreme sarcasm and tremendous terror.

"Nah, there's no point."

He didn't take the quick second to let out a relieved sigh. "And there _was_ to you beating the shit out of my girlfriend?!" It was back to the anger.

"I never said there was. But at least she did more than just lay there and sleep all day, Grumpy."

"You're sick."

"I know. Listen," Brick adjusted himself and pretended not to see Troy flinch when he placed his hands deeply into his occupied pockets. "I'm going to go back to my old high school days and dish some dirt that I think you'd be interested in."

"Like what, another lie?" Troy seethed.

Brick's eyes faintly hardened at Troy's constant interruptions for his serious news. "Your third strike was up a while ago, Bolton, don't push my good mood."

Troy disguised a gulp.

Brick obviously seemed pleased with himself, but had enough practice to hide it well enough to continue. "Trust me; you'll thank me for this when I'm through. I think I can help shed a little help with the not-so-golden couple as of Saturday night."

Troy made no point to veil his widening eyes and dropping mouth. If he noticed Brick's growing smirk, he chose to ignore it. "How is that any of your business?"

"How's it any of yours? Do you even know what business you're talking about?"

"That's a stupid question, Wolf, what did you do to them?!" Troy's fists began to curl.

Brick rolled his mocha orbs. "Calm down, I don't meddle unless someone forces me to. Now do you want to know or not?"

After Troy took his time to nod reluctantly, Brick continued as though he were talking to some old friend from high school. "So, I took a little vacation to California the other day…"

The line was drawn. "You son of a-" Troy stepped forward bravely, as if he actually had a chance at taking this monster.

"I said I went to California, not that I went to San Francisco, don't interrupt me."

Although his fists were still curled, Troy backed down by the smallest inch possible. Brick waited for him to calm himself somewhat before adding tauntingly. "Now that I can finish, yes, I did go to San Francisco. Nice house, her mom's got cash, doesn't she?

Before he had any inkling of what he was doing, Troy's fist lashed out at the speed of light heading directly for Brick's jaw. The bright red flash of antagonism had blocked any action that took place after that, but he soon figured that it didn't matter. A blink of an eye would be too long to catch what happened next. Instead of the rough, stubbly skin of Brick's jaw under Troy's fist, some sort of rock had conformed on the outside of his hand and stopped him from proceeding any further. The furious haze had to pass before he could realize that it was indeed Brick's hand catching Troy's, not even flexing a muscle or disturbing his smooth breathing pattern. The man was a machine, Troy thought to himself, because he sure as hell wasn't human. Brandon couldn't even do that and he was pushing for twice Troy's size.

"I just went up to say hi and annoy her a little," Brick's voice continued as though he were unfazed, but his eyes were as smug as ever. "but it turns out that an old…_friend_ of yours beat me to the punch."

"What old friend?"

"Does the name 'Josh Greystone' ring any crazy bells?"

The impact of the blow was so chilling, so crushing that Troy had no chance at feeling his hand slide out of Brick's vice and land limply at his side. The warm spring breeze suddenly cooled back to the December winds that lashed a his now papery skin with vengeance for whatever he'd done to deserve such news. But thankfully, it was the door frame that stopped his body from falling backwards and landing on his head inside the house. He couldn't even control the single, relevant word about the fall from his mouth in a broken breath.

"No…"

"Yup." That was all the man in front of him responded, containing a beam.

"Izzy was raped?" Troy barely whispered.

"I swear my eardrums were blown by the time I left; the girl's got a pair of lungs on her. Oh yeah, and her boyfriend gave her a jingle right in the middle of it. And do you want to know what that little bastard did?"

"Please…please, don't tell me." He breathlessly gasped, grabbing a hold of the door frame.

"Why, because you already know that he hung up on her once he heard the moans?"

"Brick…" Troy pleaded, trying to hold up a shaky hand in surrender.

"Fine, I'm done, I'm done. So I figured that she'd be traumatized enough and left just as things were wrapping up—"

That was enough to snap Troy back into some sort of angry, semi-conscious state of being able to respond. "You just left her there?!"

Brick rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, as if disappointed. "Okay, okay, I was wrong; story of my life, never done anything like _that_ before. But just think: am _I_ really the one you want to be mad at?"

Troy kept his hard gaze on Brick for a few seconds like he was trying to break him, make him crumble under his betrayal-filled eyes for just leaving his poor cousin in Hell to have her remaining innocence stolen by an eighteen-year old beast. Just like in the past, Brick provided him with a look just as—if not stronger—unbreakable, scorching, and sarcastic. And, just like in the past, Troy was the first to look away. But this time it wasn't completely out of horror; instead of turning his face to the ground as usual, Troy slowly rotated his head to the right, directly into the side of his girlfriend's house. If looks could kill, the wall of the Montez house would've had a hole already starting to burn before Troy's singing stare completely demolished it. It was now nothing but a large pile of ashes in the destroyed grass to him.

He had a feeling that a bleeding, mangled body would match _very_ nicely…

"He's in his backyard," Brick told him, "I'd go have your little chat with him now before he goes into hibernation again."

It took Troy all but three seconds to gather some heated energy, roll back the imaginary clock in his head, and take a deep breath, his version of a battle cry. He kept up the frozen stare while the fire in his head smoldered to an inferno, Brandon's name flashing through the angry flames for encouragement.

As he stomped off to the neighboring backyard, Brick moved himself to lean against Troy's doorframe and check off another step in his plan, murmuring. "Let the games begin…"

--

"Brandon!"

Brandon sighed deeply as Troy's voice thundered through his backyard. He turned away from Gabriella but before he could even say 'what', he felt a sharp, familiar pain force his head back and cut off his stabilization, throwing him to the ground.

"Troy!!!" Gabriella shrieked, jumping back in surprise from the punch, but too shocked to do anything about it afterwards.

Troy ignored her, quickly advancing toward the teenager on the ground holding his sore jaw. Troy straddled Brandon beneath him and, holding him down by the neck, threw his clenched fist into his face over and over with no mercy. He could hear the yells of protest surrounding him, but was too furious to care.

Once Brandon received a small clue of what was happening, his confused and pained eyes switched to something that he hadn't used with Troy in almost a year. The rage, the violent bliss of the previous year returned to his body in less than a second, giving him the strength to shove Troy off of him and reverse their last position: Troy's back dug into the Earth and Brandon on top of him, attacking his face with all of the anger that had consumed him.

He only managed to get five or six blows in before two pairs of arms took hold of his right arm and yanked him up off of the ground. Brandon didn't even turn to see who was restraining him. Every muscle in his body was bulging with excitement and his heart rate had nearly doubled from the insane fuel that gave him the energy to fight against the arms.

"Brandon, cut it out!" Chad's voice commanded, tightening his fingers around Brandon's throbbing torso.

He watched through red-tinted eyes as Ryan pinned Troy's hands behind his back and dragged him as far away from Brandon as he possibly could, with him struggling to break free just as much as Brandon was. His face turned crimson from the quickening blood flow pulsing through his veins and his breaths came in loud, staggering huffs. After another few seconds, his jaw locked and his eyes froze over, the old signal that Brandon remembered meant that he was done getting physical and was ready to talk it out—or scream.

"I'm fine!" he snapped to Ryan behind him. Ryan hesitated before loosening his grip on the angry teen's arms.

Troy's head slowly turned back to his best friend, who was also slowing his struggles. Chad and Sharpay still had an extremely firm hold on his shoulders and abdomen, which soon proved to not be enough for Brandon finally broke out of their hold and took a step forward, facing Troy head on. Their eyes burned holes in the others, fighting to dominate their opponent.

Brandon spoke up first. "What the hell is your problem?!"

Troy's fists clenched again as he prepared to lunge at him once more, but Ryan threw his arms around him before he had the chance to. The growl emitting from his throat turned into a scream. "HOW COULD YOU?!?!"

Brandon's face made way for confusion, but it didn't stand a chance of overtaking the remaining rage. "What are you talking about?!"

"Isabelle, that's who I'm talking about! You broke up with her, you monster!"

Brandon's lungs gave up for the shortest second and the words came in contact with his nerves. He winced at the sound of his ex's name being spoken for the first time in days. "…how did you find out about that?"

Troy didn't hold back his raging fury yet. "Brick told me! My worst enemy told me that my so-called best friend broke up with my cousin right after she was raped!"

The helpful bystanders all gasped, even dropping their holds on the two teens. "What?!"

Gabriella turned to her brother and, with wide eyes and a serious tone, asked "Brandon, is that true?"

He ignored her as well and let annoyance sink into his words. "Oh, don't tell me that you're buying that bullshit!"

"How could you say that, Brandon?!" Troy begged, still pissed. "She was your girlfriend! She trusted you with her life and you just threw that away like it meant nothing to you?!"

Brandon immediately retaliated lowly. "You don't know anything about our relationship!"

Troy stepped forward and easily accused "I know that she was a way better girlfriend then you were a boyfriend!"

Brandon threw his hands in the air and sarcastically asked "Oh yeah, sure, because I didn't run off and sleep with someone else and then try to cover it up with some stupid rape story?!"

Troy ground his teeth together and felt a strong, low rumbling in his chest. He growled "That wasn't a story! Be serious for once in your life!"

Brandon rolled his eyes and said "Why would you believe Brick, anyway? After all he's done to us, you believe him over your best friend?!"

"I tried to call Izzy and she picked up sounding like she just got her heart stomped on! Now try to call that a story!"

Brandon glared "She's probably just PMSing! And besides, she has her other boyfriend to go cry on and fuck!"

Troy dug his fingers into his temples and took several deep, calming breaths. As soon as he inhaled once again, he felt the fury blend back into his sanity, tinting everything red and warming his bloodstream to make it a pulsing disaster. "You are so damn stubborn! I know that you loved her! So what if she actually _did_ cheat on you?! You would just let her get raped as revenge?! She could've gotten killed!"

Brandon immediately jumped to his own defense without thinking. "Why should I care?"

Troy felt something snap inside of him, like a catapult that projected him forward and threw his fist in Brandon's direction. It hit him and he went back to return the favor, but Chad grabbed him before he got the chance. Ryan and Gabriella snatched Troy and pulled him back about ten feet from Brandon, which still turned out not to be enough space. If either one of the boys got loose, all they had to do was take two giant steps and they were right back to killing each other.

Troy took giant breaths through his nose, expanding his chest to try and calm himself down for at least half of a second to threaten him dangerously. "You're lucky that everyone's here. If they weren't, I'd make you feel more pain than Isabelle did!"

Brandon's smiled like a cobra, his teeth glittering in the afternoon sun and reflecting his anger in Troy's eyes. "I would love to see you try. I've gotten stronger since our last fight!"

"So have I and I'll put your ass back in the hospital in an instant! You _know_ what I can do to you!"

"This is coming from the person who I stabbed!"

Troy lurched forward again, having Gabriella snatch his waist back towards her. "If you bring that up again, I'll let you know how it feels and won't take you to the hospital!"

Chad, from a few feet across the lawn, warned "Troy, don't even play like that…"

Troy snapped "Stay out of this, Chad!" He turned his attention back to Brandon and growled "Listen to me, Brandon, if you know what's good for you, you'll forget your anger and apologize to her! I know her way better than you do and I know how she gets when her heart's messed with! She lost her dad and her grandma; she doesn't need something else to cry over!"

Brandon crossed his now free arms and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe a little crying would do her some good. Let her see what's going on outside her own little perfect world!"

Gabriella let her hands slide down Troy's torso absentmindedly and her mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Brandon…"

Troy had the same reaction, shaking his head at him and looking over the man in front of him. This wasn't the same person that he had talked with this morning. He had changed in the course of a few hours and returned back to the same cynical, frustrated, angry devil that he hadn't seen in over a year. This wasn't his best friend. And he had a feeling that he couldn't be traced back to the light anytime soon.

"How could you be so heartless?" Troy whispered.

Brandon didn't hesitate to reply. His voice was shaking, almost as if he was begging. "I learn from the best."

Troy's mouth snapped shut and his fists clenched again, his veins stretching out of his skin. Brandon's arms were crossed and his feet were spread apart widely, as if he were trying to intimidate the teen in front of him. Things were painfully silent for a few moments while the two boys stared each other down, neither of them moving a muscle except for their broad chests and shoulders lifting and contracting heavily. The witnesses held their breaths as they watched the stillness and listened to the silence that had suddenly turned extremely screeching.

Troy couldn't help the sudden rush of hot tears that had run to his eyes. He was angry, that was obvious, but the harsh truth of the future has finally begun to dawn on him. The déjà vu of this moment was all that could be seen in front of him while he stared into Brandon's hard eyes. His shoulder-length, shaggy black hair shrunk back to the short cut that he had sported back when the two were thirteen. His 5'11" frame melted back into the short 5'3" body that he showed before his growth spurt. His blood was covering almost his entire body, even under his black hoodie and dark blue jeans. He knew exactly what he had to do.

He took a deep, shaky breath and whispered brokenly "Fine. Learn from this."

Brandon let his eyes close in a blink that lasted a little more than a second, the most relaxed action that he had committed all day. When he opened them again, they widened in horror upon seeing Troy's thirteen year old form, the way he was in middle school after their first physical fight. He was bruised, bloody, and pissed. His fists were curled and his eyes crafted into an angry, rage-filled glower. He knew exactly what was to come and he could never be prepared for the next words that came out of Troy's tight mouth.

"We're through, Montez."

Brandon couldn't breathe. The tears rushed to his eyes and pushed against the barriers he automatically put up to hold them back as he continued staring at Troy. His body fell cold and his blood turned to slush in his veins. It had been six years since this feeling had taken over him, the crushing pressure against his chest, the massive lump in his throat, and the feeling of no return at the three evil words that had just been spoken. He took a deep breath to return...

"…fine. I'm done with you, Bolton."

Not even a second after the words left Brandon's mouth, he darted off inside the house and up to his room. Everyone outside could hear his door slam and the wall rumble from his foot colliding with it. Troy inhaled deeply and exhaled a sharp, shaky breath as he stormed off the Montez property.

They weren't there to witness it the first time, nor have they ever wanted to, but the onlookers felt as if this time was worse than that day six years ago. This time no one was forcing the brothers to kick each other out of their lives and before, they weren't fighting over a sisterly figure who had gotten hurt. The five of them stood there like the boys had burst into flames and left them all stunned, confused, and very heartbroken. Chad and Taylor dragged their heavy feet after Troy to make sure he didn't do anything stupid as he usually did while Ryan and Sharpay stalked up to Brandon's room, making sure that he was okay.

As for Gabriella, she was left standing in the middle with a very large, hurtful decision to make. Her watery head spun around several times, a new stream of tears flowing down her face every time she tried to look for someone to make this choice for her. Troy was her soul mate, the one that she was designed to spend the rest of her natural born life and beyond with. He was the one who didn't take no for an answer when they reunited last year at East High and took her sarcasm seriously when he rode the wild hogs around like a complete fool. He'd been broken, battered, and tortured for so long with her in mind the entire time. Hell, he'd even been stabbed by her twin brother as a result to the buildup that she didn't help to stop at first.

_Brandon…_Brandon was her blood, the one who was born with the automatic responsibility to look after her with every breath in his body. He had jumped to her defense with every fight that she'd managed to place herself into and if she got hurt, he'd carry her through it in some sick, twisted way and finish with his infamous battle cry that screamed _"I'll beat you until the very last drop of blood is spilled from your body."_ How could she turn her back on that? He was even protective enough to scare her away with the punch, a way to tell her—and himself—that he was in a dark place at the moment; she needed to get out before he caused even more damage.

Didn't family always come first?

Her head swiveled for the last time until it landed upon her final selection. With a deep breath and a mental apology for who was second on her mind, she hurried over to try and console Troy the best she could.

--

It rained that night. Course pellets lashed at the windows and doors of every home in sight, as if trying to get through the barriers to the vulnerable beings beneath them and steal every remaining defense that they still had. The midnight sky, once a beautiful velvet, soon became swallowed alive by the rain and held prisoner along with everything else it protected. It was broken, storm clouds invading it at random spaces to the point where everything—and everyone—underneath was torn open, weak. Two beings in particular sat and minute by minute, watched as their precious sky fell from their weakened grasp. It was as if they were both Gods who saw every wrongdoing in their world of perfect dreams…except a nightmare.

It rained that night. And for the ten tortured members of this world, it seemed as if it would never end...

* * *

**How many are happy that Brandon got his ass whopped for what he did to Isabelle??? And if you _are_ happy, do you think that Gabby made the right decision to have Troy as her first choice over her twin brother??? Oh, no, my friends, this is NOT rock bottom yet. The next chapter's even more shocking ;]**

**Oh, yeah, and Brick's such a LIAR, LIAR; PANTS ON FIRE!!!**

**Just another word of warning: the next chapter deals with a pretty sensitive subject--especially to me--that carries out to the end of the story. I'm just saying that if you're very stressed and have a certain way of dealing with your "depression" (you'll find out this method next chapter) come back to the next chapter with caution. I don't want to be responsible for any triggers...**

**REVIEW!!! Thnx :)**

**~Rachel :)**


	30. A New Release

**So I don't think anyone's had a shiver run through their body as hard as I did when I finally re-wrote this chapter. Four months after the crash and I finished it, can you believe it? I'm back in the game, bitches :D**

**This is one of the many chapters that I'm excited to put out (not only because the last time I updated was back at the dawn of time) but because of the material, what happens at the end of it. It's very personal and sensitive to me (I'm sure you'll figure out why) and I really need to know what you think of it.**

**WARNING: THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DARK-THEMED CHAPTER. THE WRITING IS DARKER AND HEAVIER THAN THE REST OF THE STORY, BOTH GFN AND THIS ONE. KEEP THAT IN MIND WHEN YOU GET TO BRANDON'S RESERVED SECTION.**

**Enjoy :]**

* * *

**Chapter 29 – A New Release**

_There was a chill in the air that night, the moonlight cutting through the windows' glass without an ounce of concentration. The darkness of the living room's atmosphere wasn't unusual, but the tension was. It was as if a horrifying murder had just been committed and the killer was just waiting for someone who already knew to find the body. Once they did, they would be scarred forever._

_Gabriella was that witness, in her own house to make things worse. She couldn't feel her feet trudging up the stairs to inspect the running water that could be heard from the second floor. She was numb all over, everywhere. The only sense of life that she felt was through her foggy vision. It was just like a dream, but one that belonged to some sort of psychic…_

_Her legs must have been shaking, for she couldn't see straight for more than two seconds. Why was she nervous? There really wasn't a dead body hanging from the ceiling, was there? Surely Brandon would protect her from any type of physical or psychological harm, no matter how psycho he acted at the time. Her stomach plummeted at the thought of his name, accompanying her first fear with an equal amount of terror._

_She stepped and turned like a robot until she found herself in front of Brandon's bathroom door. The air was getting colder. Gabriella viewed her hand in front of her face and before she could absorb her actions, the door was open. She stepped inside and scaled the room for another sign of her brother's presence, but came up short. Trying her best to ignore the rusty air, she noticed his clothes weren't kicked to a pile in the corner and his pajama bottoms weren't hanging beside his towel like they usually were. But the water was still running. If Gabriella could feel her face, she knew that it would be twisted with confusion and slight disgust when the bloody scent increased._

_There was something there, though, normal and abnormal at the same time. Through the translucent shower curtain, sitting against the tiled floor was a large, black mass. The first words that came to her mind were _trash bag_ but it was too abstract in shape. The more reasonable guess was to say a human being, but it wasn't even colored like one. The 'skin' would have to be the chalkiest white and solid, like frozen plastic. The broad shoulders that were used to standing tall and proud were now slumped, hunched over in some sort of defeat. Her heart was harshly pulled into a thrilling vice. Why did this position seem so familiar to her?_

_If this was indeed someone slouched on Brandon's shower floor, that would call for limbs: arms and legs. Gabriella didn't pay any attention to the legs underneath this body, but the thick arms lying at his sides. They seemed loose, unable to support even the lightest feather or—in this case—droplet of water from the showerhead above. On the left arm of the stranger was an unusual defect; a dark thin line that ran from what appeared to be an elbow to the drain of the shower. The further away it got from the limb, the wider and more crimson it became. _

_It was getting too cold to just stand there and do nothing about this confusion that's consumed her dream-like body (and the odor of blood was turning unbearable) She had to find out what—or who—this was and why it was there taking up room in her brother's personal space. Her vision was the only way she had any sense of knowing that she was stepping forward towards the curtain; touching or feeling anything was out of the question since the beginning._

_Gabriella raised her pale hand in front of her eyes and gripped a handful of the plastic for a few slow seconds. Was it just her imagination, or was she listening to the steady rhythm of an anxious heart beating?_

_Thump, thump, thump, more time went by. Thump, thump, thump...if she couldn't feel anything, what was the pounding sensation electrifying her chest?_

_Thump…thump…thump…they were getting slower and slower…_

_Thump…_

_Her heart slammed against her chest one last time before a shockwave ignited her arm and snapped her arm back, bringing the shower curtain with it…_

Gabriella jerked awake, tearing Troy's arms from around her waist. The bed quivered from her alarmed spasms, but she was far too traumatized to care—much less attempt to stop them or the icy sweat oozing from her pores. That in itself would tell Troy that she'd had a nightmare when he woke up, but that wasn't what her mind was focused on.

Why was she so scared? She wasn't even positive that the shower heap was Brandon or not. It wasn't like this was a nightmare that a mind filled with Brick's face usually caused. She found it ridiculous that she even considered the stranger to be Brandon, like he would just sit in the freezing shower like a freak waiting to die or something. He wasn't even depressed. He was filled to the brim with a rage that was so much stronger than anything Gabriella's ever seen. He and Isabelle must still be fighting, she thought to herself sadly. It's almost been a whole week. When is enough finally enough for madness?

Gabriella sighed and held her head in her hands. She felt Troy moan and squirm beside her at the sudden withdraw of her body against him. He'd be fine for a few minutes. She had to come up with a way to reunite the two long distance lovers before Brandon went insane, the anger eating him alive from the inside out. She had to talk to him tomorrow.

Her hazel eyes lifted to Troy's window overlooking half of the street. She could see that her mother's bedroom light was off, but Brandon's held something peculiar. A small, repetitive flash flickered again and again through the curtain of his window. She felt bad about not being there with him, trying to pry the issue out of him like they normally tried to do with each other, but Troy was much easier to comfort in these situations. He was always the one who was more selfless in his tirades and had the best vision for the bigger picture, not just his half of the story.

Although when it came to his cousin's safety and well-being—which could've been kept with her boyfriend—he was as blind as he ever was. The Bolton-Montez war was on again and no one was sure how to end it this time. Like Gina had said months before, there was no insane gym teacher to blame now.

As for Gabriella, she didn't know what or who to believe. Isabelle had gotten intimate with someone, that much was obvious. The question was how and why. She could've gotten sick of the unbearable distance, as Brandon believed, and cheated on him. It would make sense. Long distance relationships were never easy no matter how in love the couple was in. But not Isabelle. She was way too sweet and loving to hurt someone that badly, especially her perfect boyfriend. The other thing that didn't make sense was why Greystone? How could Josh get up there to begin with? He was locked up and far too stupid to figure a way out.

So Brandon's idea was out.

That left Troy's theory. Someone had forced themselves onto Izzy and raped her, making sure that Brandon heard just enough to assume her of cheating. That would make sense, too, at least for Josh. He would get his pleasurable revenge (only in his favor) plus a little more: tearing her and Brandon apart. It was the mind of a sick, evil genius.

Except for the parts that _still_ didn't make sense. How the hell did he get to California in the first place without someone smarter behind him to help? Plus Josh was always too damn lazy to follow through with his threats anyway. And how come the report of his escape didn't show up on the local news yet?

Wow, except for the rape, both of their theories seemed pretty stupid.

What happened to Isabelle, one of her best friends, was the exact opposite of stupid, though. It had caused a passionate relationship and rock-solid friendship to both decay and be destroyed in its path. Someone was going to pay for this, and it wasn't going to be a helpless victim. Josh—or _whoever_ started this—was going to be punished.

And Gabriella knew just who to talk to about it tomorrow.

* * *

"Hey, Brandon." Gabriella greeted him, stepping into the kitchen with a smile. Brandon inwardly groaned. Great. This was the last thing that he needed right now.

"Hey," he murmured back, taking another bite out of his apple and trying to block out the droning of his sister's suddenly annoying voice.

Gabriella bit her lip and sighed, a sign that she was about to bravely commit an act of whatever she considered brave. "Not like it's any of my business," she started nervously, "but are you okay? I know the whole thing with Troy messed the both of you up, but I don't remember you taking it this hard last time. It's worrying us, especially me. What am I missing?"

Brandon hastily sighed. He knew that this was coming and sadly wasn't prepared for it yet. So he did the only thing that most stuck people would do: he ran.

"Gabriella, the only thing wrong with me right now is my raging headache. So I'm just going to go upstairs." He pushed past her and started for the living room, not seeing the puddle of spilled water directly in his path.

"But-"

It all happened so fast Brandon didn't even have time to process it all: the slip, the fall…the cut. The first cut on his wrist from letting it slice against the sharp nail sticking out of the wall before he slid onto his butt. Seething in pain, Brandon cried "Damn it!" as he grabbed his wrist and clutched it tightly to try and relieve the temporary pain. He felt his hand start to slide down his arm as his blood seeped out of his gash and through his fingers. It stung. Badly.

"Brandon!" Gabriella shrieked, rushing over to her twin brother and getting on the floor to inspect his deep wound. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

That was all Brandon heard before her voice became blurred and faded into nothing. His twisted face calmed back to normal and the death grip on his wrist loosened. He just stared at the broken skin and the dark red liquid spilling out of it with a bit of pain and curiosity evident in his eyes. He knew that Gabriella was talking, but he just droned her out. It was as if he was being controlled by a remote and someone had pressed the mute button. Time slowed, but Brandon's thoughts raced. The questions shuffled into his brain, one after the other: Why did he stop gripping his wrist? Why had it stopped burning? Why did the cut seem comforting? So many unanswered questions poured down on his shoulders as the blood now ran down his arm in little tiny streams, as if they belonged there. And for some reason, Brandon didn't want to clean it up.

Gabriella's voice suddenly brought him back from his trance. Not even bothering to look up into her worried face, Brandon heard her exclaim "Brandon? Brandon, answer me!"

Brandon just barely moved his head to look at her. "What?"

Gabriella repeated "I said, do you want me to wrap that up for you? It looks pretty deep."

"_No!" _the cut seemed to shout to him. Brandon closed his eyes. What was happening to him?

"Uh…no, it's okay, I'm fine. Just have to go clean it out and wrap it. I'll be upstairs."

He pushed himself up from the floor with his good hand and walked over to the stairs quickly to avoid any further questions from his sister, not taking his eyes off of the cut that was now gently cradled in his other hand.

Once he made it to his room without causing anymore damage, he maneuvered over to his bed and sat down. He sat cross-legged on the mattress, all the while keeping his arm up in front of his face to keep tabs on it. The cut seemed to be clotting up nicely, probably because his heart wasn't pumping the blood through his icy veins quickly enough. The trails of blood were beginning to dry and started to take on a kind of crusty look. They made dark, intricate vines surrounding his pale skin that ran all the way to his elbow. The pain wasn't returning and this wound was brutal. How many times that you know of does that end in success?

As he dimly expected, the throbbing started up again, starting at the cut, then flowing up his arm and soon fell in sync with the beating of his heart. Brandon's eyes slammed shut and his jaw locked again, his right fist clenched around his left forearm.

"Ow, God, ahh!" he groaned through his teeth. The pain was so excruciating that he didn't feel his teeth object to the sudden rush of cold air. Brandon unconsciously curled into his favorite suffering position: rolling his knees under his chin and shoving his head between his legs until the pain subsided. There was nothing that he could focus on to make the time go by faster since every pleasant memory linked his mind back to _her_.

"Shit!" he cursed when his heart clenched at the thought of her. The throbbing was doubled and didn't seem to be breaking anytime soon.

After much praying and rolling back and forth, his arm seemed to grant mercy on him. Brandon let out a secret breath and relaxed his tense body, letting his legs crash back to the floor. A slight tingling rang throughout his entire body, most prudent in his head. It was like a bell sounding off in a school yard and the children were playing with fire.

But at least he was numb. The pain was gone and the painful blonde images in his head were drowned in the blood that came along with this relief. Relief? Was that what this was? All from a gash?

Could he perhaps get it again? The blood was drying and the bright and cheery pictures were shining through the scab-like color on his pale skin. God only knew how bad the pain would be if they resurfaced completely. If his heart didn't completely give out on him and go into a full-blown heart attack, he'd be surprised—probably enough to beg for one.

His head turned to his bathroom door opposite the foot of his bed. Thank God it was closed, making the newfound fantasies come slower, but they still came. He could imagine himself getting up from his bed and walking over to the open door, opening his mirror cabinet, and moving aside all of the debris concealing the object in mind. It would breathe fresh air at last, like the accident downstairs had allowed him to do, he would be saving it, right? And it was just one little cut, no longer than an inch. Was it really that big of a price to pay for a little, harmless scar?

"_What are you doing?"_ He heard his conscious begin to scream at him, closing his eyes. _"Do you not savor the little respect that people still hold for you? Don't make an even bigger ass out of yourself! People will find out and you will be locked up with the people that really are crazy! Don't be stupid!"_

Brandon gritted his teeth. The last time he listened to his conscious to make an important decision, he ended up with a conning whore that made him fall into a place deeper than what he's ever known. Just as he was getting comfortable with the feeling of staying there forever, she escaped and turned on the lights of this imaginary world, revealing the angry, bloody demon that he had formed but hidden after five years of living in hatred. He promised himself that he would never cross paths with that monster again.

Soul mates were supposed to bring out the best in each other for the future, not the very worst of their past. Did this mean that she wanted him to think that it was his fault now? How lovely, now she was playing with his head.

_Screw you, conscious…_

Brandon's feet joined the floor as he got up and turned to the bathroom door. The last time he made this walk was to follow a routine that he carefully crafted so that he wouldn't be late to begin a normal day in a life that he no longer remembered, a life that he had led only a few days ago. It was too full of joy, too perfect for even the richest, snobbiest asshole to reside. He couldn't get any higher than he was already, so naturally he would have to fall eventually. Falling this hard, though, was a story meant for someone that might have been able to handle it better.

After his fingers twisted the knob open and his legs stepped inside the small room, he made his way over to the mirrored cabinet on the wall to the right of the door. At first, he didn't move; just braced his hands on the edge of the sink and stared at his tired reflection. What stared back at him could only be described as hideously beautiful. His once sleek and shiny jet-black hair had now transformed into a frizzy mop upon his head from the sudden absence of grooming. His jaw had been locked shut, as if holding in a betrayed scream from the knife in his back. Yup, the monster was back and starving for a heap of déjà vu: every speck of his life with a side of dignity on a silver platter, with a steaming cup of his self-respect. Order up…

Brandon found his hand in front of his face, grasping the cabinet handle and pulling it towards him. The debris before him was barely seen, like the grayscale around the only colored object in a photograph. He held up two fingers automatically, placing them in between the shaving cream and aftershave like he's done so many times before. Gently pushing them apart, he held his breath as the object in mind came into sight.

The razor looked different now, all prerequisite knowledge gone in a matter of seconds. It was like it wasn't safe anymore. The imaginary yellow tape was nowhere in sight to say _'careful not to hurt yourself'_. Brandon almost grinned.

He took the blade in between his fingers slowly, inspecting them in the faint sunlight that glowed from the window behind him. It seemed to glisten sickeningly in the light, a huge smile forming on its sharp edge to egg him on, drawing him to the dark side. But it wasn't like he had to be convinced anymore than he already was. The first cut, the accident, had that down already.

Brandon carried the razor to his room and sat cross-legged on his bed to stare at it a little more. The shine still hadn't let up, even in the blue plastic concealing most of it's evil beauty. It was just a simple disposable razor, the kind that comes in packs of ten for $5. It was a little dirty, most likely from the long-term storage under his sink. It was just a replacement until he remembered to get a new one at the store. That was its only intended purpose, the one it was built for. Until now. How could something change so drastically in such a short amount of time?

He looked to his right on his bedside table, only one object standing out to him. Sharpay's pink nail clippers lay in between a stack of old receipts and flash cards for English. She must have left them here from their sleepover early last week; him, Shar, Troy, and Gabriella spent the night in his room watching TV and having a usually great time. He quickly kicked the memory to the back of his mind before it triggered anything else to bubble inside of him.

When the small pair of clippers were in his right hand, he paused. Looking over the razor, he realized that the plastic wasn't going to put up much of a fight if—when—he tried to rip it apart. Just by holding it in his hands, he could tell that it was weak and flimsy by it's too-light weight. Why did this have to be so easy?

Since his self-control ditched him a while ago, Brandon allowed his hand to his right hand meet his left, the clippers connecting with the plastic closest to the razor itself. His fingers squeezed the handles, tighter and tighter while he watched as the navy plastic quickly faded to a dull white, until…_snap_. One crack down, not enough left to go.

It didn't take long to break the plastic down into tiny shards in a little pile on his comforter. The fact that time was being extremely bi-polar, freezing and chasing him at random intervals, didn't help either, so that just made the time seem even shorter. He had to use his fingernails to pick a few stubborn bits off, but even that could've been done in his deepest sleep.

When the final shred of plastic fell to his lap, Brandon took a second before gazing at the single, flexible blade between his fingers. Although the plastic was cheap and feeble, it must have done its job and protected the blade the best it could. There was barely a single spot on it, the shining glare reflecting into Brandon's flat, dead eyes like the cut was doing earlier. There was no point in trying to resist it's calls; look at how the last attempt turned out.

"_Are you insane?"_ he heard it bellow in his mind again, _"If you do this, you're done! There's no going back and you WILL be finished! You're dead!"_

"_Tell me something I don't know…"_ he thought to himself as a reply.

Brandon's skin was a prisoner to the hardened blood that seemed to now be permanently attached to his surface. He couldn't move his arm without feeling like his arm was trapped in a form-fitting tube. And again, the last thing he wanted to do was scrape it off. It was too haunting, too beautiful to just be thrown in the trash as if it never brought any kind of comfort in the first place.

"_You idiot,"_ his conscious finally sighed, easing his imaginary ears from the brink of going deaf from all the screaming, "_You deserve this."_

Brandon cut his breath, his hand beginning to tremble as the blade suddenly felt to be scorching his skin.

"_Just let me close my eyes. I can't watch this…"_

Brandon's desperate plea to himself seemed to go through mercifully before he blindly lifted his arm and settled it comfortably in his lap. The first step was over, out of the way, as his eyes fluttered open again. He gazed down at the space right below the first cut, concentrating on the skin while the countdown began in his head.

3…

_"So you're telling me that if Isabelle ever disappeared from your life, you wouldn't find some way to hurt yourself…"_

_"You have to swear to me that you'll never cut yourself. I can't have someone else that I care about do that to themselves again. Please, just promise me that…"_

His past promises to Mike and Gabriella resounded in his head as he lifted his right hand and positioned it above his wrist, the blade sparkling once more before it hypnotized Brandon's hand into lowering itself down.

…2…

His friends' words repeated faster and faster, louder and louder until they were just blurred into a high-pitched rush of wind passing through his ears. If he had given himself even more time, stalled a little longer, maybe he would've realized his breath catching up with this thoughts.

If his promises to two people that he loved were really that important, wouldn't it break through this insanity, grab his pale face, and snap it in the right direction, towards the light? No, they should've done that by now. It's been a week since his dramatic attitude change; they should've tried harder to interrogate him into telling the truth about what happened that night. They didn't care. No one did, except the glittering razor he held in his fingers. The paper-thin edge lightly kissed his skin before it turned into a gradual bite, sinking its flat teeth onto his skin hard enough to create a mark but no penetration. He still had time to stop this, to chuck the razor across the room and run downstairs into the arms of his sister. He was eighteen years old and his hormones were still acting up, there was no reason do this.

…1…

_"I promise to love you forever, no matter what happens. I love you, Brandon. I really do."_

…Oh my God…

The words meant nothing to him now. The blade had pierced his skin.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't even blink as he watched the razor sever his flesh, not trying to stop it as he allowed it to crawl deeper and deeper into his arm and watched the layers of his skin appear before his eyes. It didn't bleed at first. It seemed to be designing its own little prologue before the main act, the one he had come to see. The first wave of pain was nowhere to be found, unlike the first time where it was all he could concentrate on until it stopped. But he knew it would end, just like everything else he's ever known and loved: friendship, innocence, and love. _She_ had promised him eternal love. _She_ lied and she could burn in Hell, along with Brick and Troy.

He waited for the pull in his heart to return, agonizing spasms of bright memories that had once supported his life that now left him feeling around in the dark. That's what happened, what always happened when someone had hurt him, what would always happen.

Until now. He couldn't feel anything. Not in his mind, not flashing in front of his eyes, not trying to claw its way into his heart to reign more hell there. He was already cut, broken. The job was done. Especially when the blood came.

It started as a faint pink line trying to fill the disturbance of his skin, but then spilled out over the surface and began seeping down his arm, joining the crusty vines and creating a beautiful contrast. Pale white skin, bright red blood—vibrant and stark—and maroon scabs. It was pure art. And he created it, something beautiful and fresh. No one was suffering, not even him. The pain had yet to show its ugly face in his foggy head, the coward.

Three Days Grace lied, Adam didn't sing the truth after all like Brandon liked to once think he did. Why would he rather feel pain than nothing at all if it made him feel this _safe_, this _free_? Everyone lies, he reminded himself, even though you give them everything in your soul and expect nothing back.

And it was then that the hideous, blonde face of pure pain appeared in his head, its blue eyes even more piercing and stark than the blood remaining on the razor. It was then that he felt how much this level of relief would cost him when he felt it breathe its way up his arm and start throbbing in sync with his heart. Brandon could barely think, his teeth searing from the cold air and sharp breaths and the clenching of his body to the point where he was trembling.

Which is how, he finally came to realize, that the ended up with five identical, parallel lines under the first cut, bleeding their sympathy while still taking control over him. But he didn't look at it like that from the outside: he was in control. He had the power. If ever someone on the other side of this new wall tried to punch a hole through to him or knock it down with their never-ending bullshit, he could just grab the razor and plug it with the relief that was so beautifully crimson. It was unbreakable. An imperfect hole, fixed with the sorrow and shame that ran so thick in his fragile veins.

Yes, he had the power and that pair of cyan-eyed, evil cousins would never steal it from him, _never_. Not without a fight…

"Brandon," Gabriella's voice seemed further than it should have been, even though she was downstairs in the kitchen, "Mom's on the phone."

He didn't reply, just watched as a thin sliver of blood decided to take a risk and continue running, slipping from his elbow to the razor that lay on his knee directly beneath. It seemed to shine brighter as it hit the silver, like every drop of his life made it hungrier, always wanting more.

Brandon took a deep breath through his nose and bounced off of his bed, not noticing the fresh blood running down his forearm, down his hand, until it finally hit the pale tan line surrounding his ring finger. And even when he rushed to his bathroom to retrieve a towel, throwing it over his arm, Brandon felt a new sense of promise to himself. This was who he was now. He was stronger. No longer would he succumb to the anger by letting it fill his mind so much that he'd have to escape in a nightmare. No. Whenever he felt haunted and stripped of the little control he had left in his life, this was his way out. The only answer. This was his chance to let himself know that he was still alive and able to control his thoughts again. He couldn't take the anger anymore, the horrors of that night six days ago. This was his life. There was no way he was going to let her, him, _them_ fuck it up anymore.

He walked away from it now, leaving his painful memories in the blood on the razor until it became hungry for more. And he had a feeling he'd be more than happy to feed it anytime it called for him…

* * *

**Just leave your reviews on the chapter, because if I find any flames on cutting/cutters, I will come after you like Troy came after Brandon for hanging up on Isabelle.**

**The next chapter is already half-done, so you can probably expect in in the next week or two. I need to get back to work on Ultimate Manhunt first. I don't want to leave those readers hanging like I've left you guys (if there's any more of you left...:[)**

**REVIEW! Thnx :]**

**~Rachel :]**


	31. Froid et Brisé

**Yay, quicker update...**

**I wrote this back when I was still in school a few weeks ago. I had to bring up my French grade and thought "Why not braid it into the story a little more than just having Brandon and Gabby taking the class?" So if you get annoyed by reading different languages that you don't know (there's a translation right after, don't worry) I'm sorry.**

**The chapter title's in French, too, if you didn't already notice. Try to figure out what it means and answer in your review.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Whatcha Say" by Jason Derulo or "Pain" by Three Days Grace.**

**Chapter 30 – Froid et Brisé**

"Brandon, wait up!"

Brandon froze and took a deep, defeated breath when he heard his name come out of his sister's mouth that Monday morning. He'd built his new routine around the fact that he was beginning to feel more and more antisocial by the day, so naturally waking up at 4:30 to walk to school usually gets people off of your back. Unless you have a concerned sister that heard your alarm go off.

The clicking of Gabriella's heels was slower than the speed that she usually ran at, which could mean one of two things: she was carrying extra baggage or she was in a mini-skirt, he didn't turn around the see. Either way, he was saved. Thanks to his blessed dancer's feet, he could scurry away from her and easily make it look like a coincidence. But first he'd have to get past the burden of actually talking to her. How could his day get any worse from here?

"Hey," she greeted him with a warm smile when she finally caught up to him, moving the hair from her face. "Car run out of gas?"

Brandon's eyes fell over her body once and a heavy feeling of understanding washed over him. He was right about the khaki mini-skirt, complete with a white, low-cut baby doll top and her short white heels of course. She only dressed this way on certain occasions and all of them involved one specific neighbor of theirs. Brandon's teeth clenched at the thought of his re-established ex-best friend. The war was on again, but brought with it new standards. The two haven't spoken to each other since their backyard battle, nor has anyone in the gang (besides Gabriella) acknowledged Brandon's rare presence around them.

Believe it or not, lunch was the easiest time to avoid all contact with the feuding groups, since Brandon's old crew sat at least five tables down from the gang. Mike, Amy, Todd, and Drew gladly accepted him back, but the joy was shot once they caught a glimpse of how low he'd sunk. He barely spoke and if he did, it was to Amy about whatever she was arguing with Mike about. He'd rather have that than see them exchanging DNA through each other's throats. He knew he'd kept Amy close by for a reason; someone had to know most of his thoughts at all times.

"Sure," he finally replied without so much as a reassuring glance in her eyes, "why don't we go with that?"

Gabriella slowly nodded, not taking her eyes off of his retreating figure. She quickly darted after him, her heels clicking on the pavement in the background of her words. "You know that Mom keeps extra in the garage, don't you? It's helped me out so many times I've lost count."

"How nice for you."

"Did you get the French homework done?" She ignored his sarcasm and grabbed her French book from her bag, "I'm having trouble with the être passé compose."

"Forgot it."

"Can you help me anyway?"

Brandon gritted his teeth and exhaled harshly through his nose. "No, Gabriella, I can't. Ask someone else."

"But you got an A on that test last week-"

"I _said_," he flew around and found that he was directly in her face, forcing her to backtrack her steps and cower in his menacing hiss. "That I'm not helping you! So go hitch a ride with your fuck buddy and leave me the hell alone, understand, or do I have to say it en français? Laissez-moi tranquille, Gabriella!" _"…do I have to say it in French? Leave me alone, Gabriella!"_

Just like her stability, Gabriella's lungs seemed to surrender the oxygen over to Brandon's ruthless tirade. The silence between them seemed way too loud for both of them, even though it was exactly what Brandon had been praying for. But he hoped it still hurt her. It wouldn't make any sense for him to suffer more and her not at all. His resentment would only intensify.

Gabriella gulped and lifted her head just enough to view his edgy frame in front of her through her bangs. The tears were close, she could feel it.

"Qu'est-ce que tu as, Brandon?" _"What's wrong with you, Brandon?"_

Brandon slid his eyes away from the dead street to glare at his sister. He felt the need to flex his arms to keep his sudden anger to himself, but automatically knew the painful consequences if his wounds stretched. Instead he shrugged, raising his voice a little.

"Rien." _"Nothing."_

Gabriella let her head fall to her hands, her black curls curtaining her uncomfortable face as she twirled her fingers around to distract herself. Once she brought it back up and flipped the bangs out of her eyes, she glanced at the house beside them while mumbling the words that she knew would get her in trouble if Brandon even remembered what they meant.

"Ton sa copine…"

The pavement almost shattered and the space between them nearly doubled when Brandon looked at Gabriella again, startling her into a moment of sudden shock and forcing her to leap back. The demon had returned with chocolate razors that cut her internal organs into shreds small enough that no one would dare speak the words for _"your girlfriend…"_ again.

Brandon's jagged growl was low enough to seem deadly, but loud enough to give it the right amount of general anger. "Tais-toi!" _"Shut up!"_

She couldn't keep her voice from shaking as she concentrated on inhaling and exhaling, recovering from the harsh blow of her twin's gaze. "J-je suis desole…" _"I-I'm sorry…"_

It stayed this way for a couple of long, painful moments, with Gabriella recuperating from the atomic bombs fired at her and Brandon's internal fight to calm himself down. The only way he felt this could be completely conquered was out of the picture at this particular moment, and he resisted the urge to reach up to his neck and clutch the new necklace that he wore in case of situations similar to this one. If he didn't have a memory attack in his room and had one at school instead, he would easily excuse himself to the bathroom, rip the sharp, diamond-shaped Christmas present from his father off, and bleed the images out of his head. After waiting for the europhia to let him down off his high and for the blood to thicken and clot well enough for it to almost stop completely, he'd wrap his arm in paper towels and return to class as if nothing had happened in the first place. As long as he followed his plan and stayed out of everyone's way so that there was no chance of him having to reveal his arm, he was perfectly in the clear.

Brandon took one last, silent breath through his nose before turning his body to prepare to walk away. But something was residing on his tongue since the very second he'd laid eyes on his sister that morning. His eyes did one more sweep over her body before he let his last dagger rip towards her self-confidence.

"Pull down your skirt; you look like a whore."

When Gabriella lifted her head to show him her widened eyes, she only found that he had turned the corner; he was gone, leaving her on her own to fight her tears. Damn his silent, perfect dancer's feet.

She was too far into her head to hear a new noise pull up beside her on the street. It was only when the horn honked that Gabriella's head snapped around and came face to face with her familiar guest. She took one last look at Brandon's ghost before shuffling over to the passenger door of Troy's blue Camry and sliding herself in. Gabriella could feel him gazing over at her, the confusion pouring off of his face in waves until his eyes fell on the French homework on top of her stack of books. Even when Troy's expression switched to defensive understanding, she didn't look at him.

She knew she loved him for a reason; he reached over, took her face in his hands, and pulled her to meet his soft lips, his mouth moving against hers in a way that safely told her that if she wanted it to be like this, forever and always, he wouldn't object. Whatever she wanted, needed, or simply dreamed about could be possible as long as she stayed by his side, in his arms, capturing his soul like she always did.

And if that meant trapping Brandon in a sound-proof closet for round two, so be it. Who was he to object?

However, she still pulled away when a whimper crept up her throat. Gabriella ducked her head into the crook of Troy's neck as if letting him see her cry would destroy all that he just established in his mind. How could he possibly be with someone this weak and vulnerable? It was pathetic.

She sniffled and tried her best to sound coherent, stronger. "H-how much of that did you hear?"

"Right around the être passé part. And I hope I never find out what 'ton sa copine' means." He pulled her closer to his chest and subconsciously twirled her curls around his finger at the memory of Brandon's face, contorted with anger, flash through his head.

Gabriella giggled for a second before inhaling the fragrance of his t-shirt: detergent and musk. "I'll just say this: we were right about him and Izzy from the start. It looks like no one's trying to make things easier."

Troy kissed her forehead and heard his breath come out in a heavy wisp against her skin. "I know. It'll be okay, I promise. We'll all get through this sooner or later," When she closed her eyes, he glared out of his window at the spot where Brandon had been standing only three minutes earlier. "One way or another…"

_The hell with it_, Gabriella thought to herself as she felt the tears prick her eyes again. They stung the same way flowing down her cheeks as she spoke again, this time in a broken, ragged breath.

"I'm scared, Troy."

He noticed that she had joined him in looking out at the empty sidewalk and the glower was wiped from his face. Troy stroked her arm as she rested on his shoulder, tapping into his Spanish skills and almost glad that he wasn't taking her beloved French, the romantic language of Hell.

"Yo tambien." _"Me, too."_

_

* * *

_

"Mr. Danforth!"

Chad's head shot off of the desk as Ms. Darbus bellowed his name across the classroom. He blinked away some of the tiredness from his eyes and sighed deeply. "What page are we on?"

Darbus slit her eyes and made a sort of growling/braying sound under her breath. She stomped forward, swinging her turquoise scarf around her neck, and came to a halt in front of his desk. "Unless you count the pages of Hustler I imagine you were dreaming up, we're not in our books today. Now please remind me: what's the one thing I hate most in this world, Chad?"

Chad had to still be half-asleep, otherwise he never would've yawned this: "Chill pills?"

She rolled her eyes. "The second one, Mr. Smart-Aleck. And you know as well as well as I do that slumber is meant for the body to schedule itself, not drugs."

"Then why are you yelling at me for sleeping?"

"You have to put in at least some effort to sleep at night, Danforth, not gyrating to BET videos."

Chad paused, pulling his eyebrows together as a serious question ran across his mind. "Was that coincidentally racist or were you stalking my bedroom window last night?"

"The answer," she loudly interrupted him, "is ignorance. From not knowing a simple question to not having the decency to stay conscious for forty-one minutes to get a decent education is one of the most barbaric crimes you can commit. Let me ask you a question, Danforth: do you believe in hypnotism?"

Chad gulped, sulking away in his seat. "I…don't know…"

"Does it bother you to repeat the same motion or phrase over and over and over again?"

"…sure."

Darbus nodded, her beady eyes looking triumphant. "Then paying attention in class would blow over better than having to repeat one phrase for the rest of your life as a career: would you like fries with that?"

Most of the class exploded into a mixture of chuckles and shocked "ohh"s as Chad blushed and sunk even further into his desk. He was one of the two who didn't find the insult funny at all; his other half resided in the back corner of the room in a black hoodie and trying not to put too much pressure on his left forearm. It seemed as if he didn't find anything funny anymore.

"Back on task," Darbus called when the class finally calmed, "My question, Chad, was to release your current feelings in one of your favorite song's beats. Ms. Montez gave us a beautiful poem to a Christina Agularia song. Take your turn."

Hip-hop was in Chad's blood, therefore it didn't take very long for him to lay a freestyle down to "Whatcha Say":

"_Just 'cause I doze off in the middle of class doesn't mean that I'm a fool  
I can still spit the rhymes when I open my eyes  
Now who's right, me or you?  
So tell me, ma'am  
Mhmm, whatcha say?  
Well of course you didn't  
Mhmm, whatcha say?  
Mhmm, that it's all for the best?  
I don't think it is!_

When he finished his upbeat, in-your-face performance—complete with standing up and doing little dances in front of the room—the class erupted again, this time into cheers. Chad was gathering his respective high-five praise from nearly everyone while Darbus and Brandon were left still and rolling their eyes.

Chad finally crossed his arms and turned around, cocking his eyebrow at his drama teacher. "So, whatcha say, Ms. D; how 'bout them participation points?"

You could see her jaw clench even beneath her sagging cheeks. She huffed and restrained herself from growling again. "Just sit down, Danforth."

"Thank you!"

"Whatever." Chad and Troy exchanged humored looks, especially Chad who knew that his invigorating episode had woken Troy up as well.

"Moving on," Darbus continued sullenly, but perking up some when she realized that Brandon wasn't joining in on the charades. "Mr. Montez."

Brandon didn't reply; he just gazed up at his teacher through his bangs blackly.

"You've been uncharacteristically quiet today. Why don't you take a turn?"

"To what?" he said flatly.

Darbus shrugged. "Why not to that band that you enjoy so much? What are they called…Day Three Pace?"

"Three Days Grace," most of the class corrected, even Troy who kept his eyes on his desk along with his intertwined fists.

"Ahh," she nodded, "of course. I listened to one of their more popular songs, Pain. It's surprisingly tasteful; why don't you use it?"

Brandon sighed, but didn't move his carefully crossed arms. After making the effort to unlock his jaw, he inhaled and breathed the words of his broken heart.:

"_She, lied to me  
I'm free  
So now just tell me why  
Do I feel  
Like the ground holds the limits  
And not the sky?"_

Everything was silent for a moment. The humor from Chad's poem disappeared and Brandon was the new spectacle that everyone stared at. He didn't care. Just sitting there slumped in his chair was good enough for him.

"Well then," Darbus spoke, breaking the icy silence. It was like a teacher talking after they blow up at the class. "that was…creative. May I ask what sparked that kind of emotion?"

Brandon looked up from under his lashes and locked eyes with her. It felt as if he were trying to communicate some kind of thought to her silently; something like _"Please don't torment me in front of everyone."_

Darbus didn't get it, but Troy did. When you've had someone in your life for sixteen years, that tends to happen. His fists clenched even tighter and his body decided to harbor the sudden intake of air, like it was attempting to cool his heated blood. Brandon deserved to burn forever for what he did, but if his voice made itself known to Troy's ears one more time, he'd lose it. Both of them would. He could feel it.

"Mr. Montez," Darbus asked again, "please share your passionate wisdom with us. What could've possibly happened to create such angst and tourmen-"

"Why don't we move onto someone who actually _wants_ to learn and not waste all of our class time on slackers and _quitters_?" Troy hastily requested with a sarcastic tone and gritted teeth. He could feel his confused classmates' eyes on him now, the third spectacle of the day. Ms. Darbus turned to look at Troy for a second as well, but she couldn't help her eyes from sliding back over to Brandon. His face was almost completely invisible, the only skin being darkened by shadow. She couldn't tell if he was fuming or crying—or both. Exerting anger through tears wasn't uncommon, after all.

Troy knew he was in trouble the second he realized that she wasn't scolding him for telling her what to do. Darbus didn't speak for a few moments, looking between the renewed rivals with a glint of sorrow and disappointment behind her glasses.

She eventually nodded and sighed. "Very well, then," Her knowing gaze cut through Troy's body and mind completely, becoming so opaque that she could damn near see Chad behind him. "Mr. Williams, care to share?"

Just because Brandon was dismissed didn't mean that he was forgotten. He knew that would be proven some way, somehow at the end of class, if not sooner. Darbus wasn't one to condone sudden rashness or strange behaviors that popped up overnight, which had literally happened to Brandon in such a way that she was almost frightened by him. And she hasn't feared a student since the seventies, when a senior pulled a gun in the hallway.

When the bell rang, Troy gathered his papers, tucked them under his arm, and slung his book bag onto his back, focused on asking Chad about the basketball game that night when a hot chill ran down his back. It wasn't foreign, since he'd felt a thrill very similar when his fist reconnected with Brandon's jaw for the first time in a long while last week. It came and went as soon as Brandon was on the ground, just like now as the words proficiently emptied into the quiet air from Darbus's mouth.

"Mr. Bolton, Mr. Montez?"

They both froze, as did Gabriella as her eyes flew back and forth between her brother and her boyfriend, quickly imagining which one was going to snap from the sudden, crushing pressure from being in the same room for more than ten seconds. Nearly alone. They had to be seeing red by now, getting dizzy and lightheaded, and swallowing back the screams in their throats. She felt a pinpointing pain on her tongue and it took her a second to realize that it was her biting it, reacting from the nerves stabbing her, tearing their way out of her body through her sweaty palms. Troy and Brandon weren't the ones freaking out, she thought to herself like an idiot, she was. And she had to get out of there before any one of them looked up to realize her still standing there.

Darbus gave a curt nod as she tore out of the room quicker than it took the older woman to flick her eyes back to the two seniors.

They weren't looking at each other, of course, just at the floor or the doorway that had just promised them freedom a quick second ago. Troy felt his fist clench and his brain wish that it were a person so that the could beat the living shit out of it for teasing him so. It wasn't until a moment later that he realized he wasn't alone in the room or in these thoughts. And that was why the walls seemed suddenly closer and more prone to claustrophobia.

"Mr. Bolton," Darbus evenly spoke up again, observing him from his feet up. "can I have a word with you, please?"

Troy's rigid frame struggled to smother the angry tremors that flowed directly beneath the surface of his skin as he slowly turned on the balls of his feet. He kept his eyes strictly on the aged woman in front of him.

Darbus held up a hand to Brandon, as if presenting him as the newest iPod model at an Apple convention. "Would you please look your brother in the eye for a moment?"

The only way to hide his fury now was to massacre it, curling his toes and shoving it out of his lungs in an exhale so long Brandon had a quick urge to peek up and see if he was okay. Surprisingly, his desperate method seemed to work, temporarily. He opened his eyes and felt his nerves calm ever so slightly as he spoke in a flat, innocent voice.

"I'm an only child, Ms. Darbus."

Darbus's face smoothed of its sharp, professional shield, if only momentarily, to take on a sort of parental, motherly gaze. Her eyes softened as she looked at him with a pleading expression. "You know what I mean, Troy."

His concentration to conceal his anger seemed to drain him, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded. His teacher's body and their surroundings seemed to sway in a light breeze that came through no window, his breathing seemed much too loud to be pounding through his ears like it was. This would be the first time in a long time that his control—though necessary—came with the disorienting consequences that he stubbornly rejected to admit he shared with Brandon.

Or maybe it was the fact that his head willingly turned to stare at Brandon for the first time in days, the hate and disappointment evident even to the mocha orbs that didn't return Troy's gaze. He refused, he could keep the power as long as he kept his wavering will power strong. _Keep your head down, don't give in, keep your head down…_

"No, I can't say that I do. I don't know who he is, if he even knows himself."

Troy didn't wait for anyone's reaction before gripping his book bag strap, glowering at Brandon one last time and marching out of the door. Darbus looked after him with a hard frown and pained eyes.

She suppressed a sigh while turning her head back to Brandon, her eyebrows coming together in confusion. If this were her when she was eighteen, she'd be quivering and shaking so hard her teeth would shatter and choke her to death. If her sister since the age of two spat that at her, she wouldn't know what she would do.

Brandon, not so much. He was as still as a vampire, his chest frozen with the breath that his body put on hiatus.

"Mr. Montez?"

He kept his icy stare on the wall behind her. His jaw looked to be too strained to be relaxed and open for any degree of conversation other than none at all. The ice seemed to melt suddenly as Brandon's eyes closed, the breath starting to pump through his stale lungs again. It was too hard; they seemed to be full already. His fists balled inside his pockets, the absence of the sharp necklace making his palm sear more than a lighter held under his hand. He was nearly blind with conflicting emotions as his cracked voice threatened to break when he spoke.

"Can I go to the bathroom now, Ms. Darbus?"

* * *

"Chad, I'm sure your little stunt back there just made everyone's day. It was seriously kickass."

Chad turned and smiled just as Gabriella caught up with him in the hallway. Even if he'd been looking, he wouldn't have found a trace of worry or edge on her face from leaving Troy and Brandon alone with Darbus. "Thanks. I'm sure I'd have liked yours, too, if I was awake."

"Gee, thanks."

Chad rolled his eyes and followed her to her locker, sensing her humored smile when her face turned away from him. "Sorry, the witch named Darbus puts sleeping spells on us everyday. Probably more so on me because she can't stand me…"

"Oh, well then if there's magic involved, don't hesitate to blow the rest of us off and do whatever the hell you want." She smiled wider after trading her English book for Calculus.

Chad grinned simply. "I knew you'd understand."

Gabriella giggled. "So I see who came to unload their post-shenanigan bull on the next on the list."

But at that, all trace of humor was washed from Chad's face and seemed to seek out his nerves, making him jumpy and restless. He took a quick look around them and, lowering his voice, replied. "Actually, I have to talk to you about something serious, Gabriella."

"What's going on?" She was on full alert now as well. She closed her locker and rested against it, clutching her books to her chest a bit nervously.

Chad hesitated, allowing a few blinks and breaths to prepare him for a simple, difficult piece of news. "Sarah called Matt last night."

Gabriella paused. "Izzy's sister?"

Chad nodded. He knew he could always count on Gabriella to make the quick speculations, usually the correct ones, and then follow it up with the point that he—thankfully—didn't have to make out loud.

Gabriella was cautious before speaking, squeezing her books tighter to her body. "How is she?"

Chad didn't answer right away, he couldn't. He just shook his head slightly and looked away at the passing hoard of students on their way to their next class, their happy expressions being the source of his envy and jealousy.

"Chad."

"It's like she's not even human anymore," He whispered, locking eyes with her and unconsciously moving his head so close to hers, his hair was hanging in her face, "She hasn't been talking, eating, sleeping, bathing…she hasn't even been able to go to the bathroom by herself. Brooke made her sit on the toilet for an hour and a half while her mom washed the sheets. Don't even ask about school, because it was a war just to get her to leave her bed."

"Jesus…"

Chad sighed in agreement. "No one's really been able to get to sleep. Ms. J won't let Sarah spend the night with Izzy, but she doesn't even have to be in the room to know what's going on in there."

The slight horror and hesitance made itself known again on her face. "What _is_ going on?"

Chad inhaled, but swallowing the lump in his throat took the words with it.

"Chad," Gabriella gripped his shoulder in support, "come on, you can tell me. We need to know this."

His breath was strangled, and she allowed him to keep his eyes on the floor for a while as he told her the next crushing blow that Matt had passed onto him. "…remember last summer when your TV was acting up and we got stuck watching Law & Order, the episode where they shot the dude in the head until the bullets ran out?" He looked up now and the tears in his eyes were hard to ignore. "Izzy had a nightmare that night about her dad and she woke up Troy's parents next door."

Gabriella nodded, secretly remembering Brandon clutching her to his body so tightly that night he had muscle cramps the next day until she fell back asleep. Against her better judgment, she winced at the memory, knowing the double meaning of the action. "That bad?"

Chad's voice was lower than a whisper now, so low he was basically mouthing the words now. "Worse. She might as well have been admiring puppies compared to what she sounds like now. They're scared that she might really hurt herself or—" He stopped suddenly, paling. "Or worse."

She had to make up for her tiny amount of weakness earlier, so she cleared her expression of all personal preference and hardened her voice into a strict business tone. "What should we do?"

"We can't do much with this distance issue, but I'm just hoping that she'll get enough sense to talk to one of us. And soon, before any more damage is done, physical and mental."

"Which is worse?" Her voice wavered in her head, but she hoped he didn't notice.

"The physical stress is catching up with her. Brooke keeps noticing her holding her chest like she's trying to hold back some kind of pain." Chad pressed his right hand directly over his heart, overlapping it with his left, and gripped to demonstrate.

Gabriella hesitated, staring at his posture and thinking that it was a bit odd and worrisome. "Did they get it checked out?"

Chad shook his head sadly. "Izzy won't leave the house. She hasn't been on the first floor in God knows how long. We _have_ to find out what happened. Brandon seriously messed her up and it's literally killing her."

Gabriella forced herself back to business, envisioning her mother's lawyer expression when she practiced at home. "I'll talk to Troy and call Brooke later. Just keep up on the updates with Matt and Sarah." She softened suddenly, gripping his bicep again. "Don't worry, Chad, we'll get to the bottom of this."

Chad smiled again, although it was full of remorse and just that—worry. "Thanks, Gabs."

"That's what family does."

* * *

**REVIEW! Thnx :]**

**~Rachel :]**


	32. Comatose Memories

**Nope. Three months and no excuse. Just read.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Your Love Is a Lie" by Simple Plan.**

**

* * *

Chapter 31 – Comatose Memories**

The Bolton house was quiet and empty when Gabriella opened the door and stepped inside, looking around. Straight ahead of her was the narrow hallway leading to the large kitchen, Troy's school photos from grades 6-12 organized on the white walls. She grinned as she was reminded of his lanky, awkward phase whilst entering junior high, his too-long hair always being shoved out of his eyes. His dull bangs were almost long enough to reach his thin lips and the wide gap that he tried to hide behind a nearly closed mouthed grin. The braces finally came in seventh grade, along with blonder hair, less freckles, and sharper shoulders.

Freshmen year was when the obvious improvements began showing themselves. Coach Wolf's threats came later in their eighth grade year, after his picture was taken (barely any changes then, other than the removed braces to show his new straight smile). The most noticeable was the haircut, which went from being shoulder length and lackluster to abruptly short with a bed-headed twist everyday. His thick bangs were a thing of the past compared with the short upward tilt that started their three year reign. Gabriella guessed they were to make sure he didn't go blind while beating the life out of Brandon all those years. His chest and shoulders, while still thin, were starting to beef up a little more thanks to all of his warrior training. He wasn't smiling, hardly even grinning, but he was tired.

_Very_ tired and worn.

Purple bags sagged under his eyes and his face was paler than normal. He didn't have any wounds yet, on account that Brandon had done his best to ignore him for as long as he possibly could, like any smart victim would do if they were denied answers. Troy was the one who had started the physical battles at Wolf's demand, who claimed that Brandon wasn't suffering enough. So not only was the mental stress of missing his best friend weighing him down, but now he had to find out that he wasn't the only one preparing for a long, bloody war the hard way. If he would've worked out outside of the school gym, Troy would've seen Brandon trading his boney, fragile physique for a _much_ thicker, rock-solid exterior that always made him look three years older and could've made grown men weep at his feet. Gina always blamed his nearly quadrupled meat consumption to his new teenage hormones. It was the perfect excuse that he never had to verbally lie about.

Still, Gabriella thought to herself as she walked over to the wall and ran her fingers over the frames with all of the adjustments that Troy's seen over the years, there was always one trait that remained constantly familiar. If ever he were to lose himself in his angry tirades to the point that he was almost beyond recognition, all she had to do was firmly grasp his shoulders and gaze up into his cerulean heartbreakers. Troy's eyes, much like Brandon's dancing, was what most people knew him for before the fighting started. No matter how untamed his hair, how clumsy his feet, or how incomplete his smile, no one ever had the heart to insult his eyes. The shine they possessed couldn't be denied or ignored, no matter the emotion that made them so passionate in the first place. They were like putty: he could form them to come off to witnesses however he wanted and they could quickly get the point without many questions. But at the end of the day, when the kids were done playing with it, it was just putty, nothing more, nothing else.

In all the silence of the house, it was difficult to ignore the heavy creak from the room above her. Gabriella looked up and giggled when she thought of the many times that noise had to have annoyed the victims in her current spot. When she snuck over here to have a special night with Troy, they weren't always careful to make sure they were completely alone in the house. She remembered Brandon knocking a broom handle on the ceiling followed by a quick, but loud "Shut the fuck up!", Jack sighing every time Gabriella moaned his son's name loud enough for him to hear over the blare of the TV in the next room, and even Izzy writing short notes, folding them into envelopes, and sliding them under the door. Troy chased her around the neighborhood for an hour after she pulled that, hiding in neighbors' bushes, climbing up the trees in the park, and even having Brandon distract Troy for a few seconds so she could tiptoe from yard to yard right behind him. In the end, it was Troy who tackled the blonde in the Montez's backyard, yelling sarcastic insults over the sound of her and Chase's painful-sounding laughter. Brandon and Gabriella ran up just a short while later and shaking their heads when he viewed them collapsed into each other with red faces and tear-soaked eyes, amused grins on their faces the whole time.

Gabriella winced when the happy images left her head, knowing that no matter what happened to the damaged couple from here on out, things would never be the same. She forced away the tears and looked to the ceiling again, where another creak sounded off through the walls. You could mistake him for a corpse when he slept sometimes, but he could scare little kids at Halloween with how he moved in his coffin.

When Gabriella reached the top of the stairs, she automatically looked to her left—as she always did—and grinned when she saw the cracked door. Taking the signal, she pushed it open and allowed a full-blown smile to stretch across her face.

Say what you will about the deep sleeper that is Troy Bolton, the look on his face will fill you with guilt about any insult or snicker that you throw his unconscious way. The violet bruises underneath his eyes all but vanished, a bed head excuse wasn't needed, and the gentle sighs escaping his slightly parted lips filled Gabriella with warmth and admiration, not worry and anxiety that he might not be sleeping enough.

She made her way across the room and gently placed herself beside him, feeling the semi-permanent indent of her body next to his. Gabriella smiled again when she noticed that Troy was neatly fit in his normal spot on his bed, giving her enough room and probably knowing that she'd be here right now. She began stroking his wild hair and placed a soft kiss on his temple. He barely moved, just giving a little heavier snore before returning to his normal breathing.

Gabriella didn't want to do it now, but she knew if she got off task now it would never get done. And who was she to make the situation worse than it could nearly impossibly get? She pulled her phone out of her pocket and, scrolling through her phonebook, located the most recently added name under 'B'.

"Hello?"

"Hey," she whispered, eyeing the lazy load beside her and skillfully pulling a corner of his comforter over his ear for further noise prevention. "It's Gabriella, Brandon's sister."

There was a stony pause on the other line and even though this was strongly expected, Gabriella instantly wondered how else she could've gone about reintroducing herself. Maybe not mentioning the center of the other line's agitation would've sufficed better, but there was no going back now. She would easily redeem herself in the end, regardless of the next angry words to cross into the phone in her hands. "What do you want?"

She bit her lip and drew a breath of the natural perfume of Troy's room that she loved so much. Her confidence was still quite intact, but she knew she would need it incase the defensive girl on the other line shook her foundation again. "Listen, I know you're pissed at him, like the rest of us are, so don't think that I'm on his side. What he did to Isabelle was wrong and I'm just trying to get some answers to help you guys out."

"And if we don't need your help? How is this any of your business and how do I know you're not lying?"

She was mad, and the accent made her enunciation even less prominent, but Gabriella got the gist of it. She took a deep breath again and closed her eyes, remembering the conversation that she had with herself while she walked from school to Troy's place: Brandon might have been acting like a heartless ass, but they were blood. When he hurt, her heart broke open to reveal the radar that told her as much. He might've had everyone else fooled, but not her. Never her.

"Look," she boldly started again, "I know you're not really mad at me. Yes, my last name is Montez, but all that means is that I'm a hell of a lot closer than you at getting answers from the actual problem. Remember that someone we both love is in trouble and you starting another fight isn't going to do anything but make everything worse. So drop the attitude and tell me if you're in or out."

It was never easy to crack someone as tough as the now silent guard on the other line. But love was a powerful thing, and if Gabriella could get that across to someone that loved Izzy just as much, it might just be strong enough to break her into saying something.

"Her chest pain is getting worse," came the slow reply. "I'm worried something might be medically wrong with her."

Gabriella sighed and sat back against Troy's wall, taking his hand and squeezing it in hers as she closed her eyes. Mission accomplished.

"Thank you, Brooke."

* * *

The metal made a small clinking sound as it came in contact with Brandon's wooden bedside table. He might have heard it if he was paying attention to his empty surroundings and not to the blood rushing through his ears. But did he really have a choice? It was either the blood or the memories, the warm, blonde ones. Hot and cold clashed, her warm words with his now frozen heart didn't mix well. But they were already lodged into his brain and making their way down to his chest, directly into his heart. But he still had a chance to get rid of them while they were still in his bloodstream.

He hated her. He hated everything about her. The softness of her skin, the sparkling gleam of her eyes, the tempting aroma of her hair, the kind and loving words that always flowed from her perfect lips.

He hated her.

_Brandon,_

Get out.

_I love you, too._

Liar. You dirty, fucking liar.

_You're stuck with me for the rest of your life, Montez._

Not if I can help it.

_I trust you._

That was your plan this whole time, wasn't it? To take everything I am and turn it against me, make me look like the criminal. You're evil, Johnson, I hate you. I hope whatever web of lies you built around yourself chokes you so hard your head snaps off.

He couldn't take this. How he was able to sit down for three consecutive minutes and open iTunes was beyond him and he didn't make the effort to try and figure it out. All he remembered was tearing through the front door into a house filled with a thick chocolate aroma accompanied with Ke$ha blasting from the TV. Everything was bright and sunny, like nothing was wrong. They were happy, laughing.

His pulsing heartbeat and hyperactive legs were the only things present to keep him from vomiting.

Brandon had ignored Gabriella and Sharpay as he tore up the stairs , discarding his book bag somewhere on the dining room floor behind him. He could've heard it skid continuously behind him in his haste, but he couldn't focus on that. Not with his new lifeline, his master, calling his name and promising a way out. If only for one torn, bloody moment.

The necklace was off and in his hand before he even opened his bedroom door. His eyes were wide, seeing nothing but the sharp objects in a rush of blurring colors as he passed them. Brandon clawed at his hoodie while trying to control what could easily be described as a major asthma attack. Sweat dripping from what felt like every pore in his body, he finally remembered how to properly remove the garment. The thump of it landing on the ground was too loud in his ears.

Brandon took one look into the mirror, relief bordering the horizon, when he stopped breathing altogether. The necklace was set up perfectly between his fingers and his left forearm was already flexed, but the unharmed skin wasn't his main focus. As hard as he tried, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the biggest, most obvious and natural distraction.

"_Hey, can you do me a favor tomorrow?"_

"_Sure, anything." Brandon replied._

_He was certain that he could hear her smiling through the phone. "Can you wear that black muscle shirt with those grey dance sweats? I'm just curious to see how amazing you'd look in that combo. Plus, I'm wondering how long it'll take me to get turned on enough to throw myself at you with adults in the room."_

_Brandon chuckled, already turning his eyes to his closet where his dancing attire for the next day was already folded neatly on the floor, the sweats sitting proudly atop his t-shirt. Their bagginess made them appear double their actual size._

"_Put me in for $20 and a real throat-clearing from my dad. You know he couldn't care less if the clothes start flying right there in the kitchen."_

"_I'm holding you to that, Superman."_

The shirt hugged his perfectly carved torso like cling wrap, emphasizing his shoulders and the thick biceps that hung beneath them. His chest and abs didn't even need the right lighting to stand out to anyone and everyone gazing upon his godly figure. To any ignorant bystander, it was one of the dumbest mistakes in the world for Troy to attack Brandon like he had the day everything went from bad to worse. Troy was strong, but not strong enough to win anymore without psychological assistance and _definitely_ not as thick. He was more skinny-muscular, an automatic target for anyone with Brandon's terrifying exterior.

Isab—_she_ had been right. Who knew that such a simple, dress-down combination could attract so much attention and praise? Before homeroom even started, Brandon had already received at least seventy hungry female stares, a hundred envious male scowls, and five feel-ups from the girls who knew him well enough. Sharpay's eyes lingered even when Zeke's arms enveloped her, Troy's eyebrow lifted in impressed compliment, and Amy's eyes grew about three sizes in two seconds while she traced her finger over each rock-solid muscle underneath the shirt. Brandon could've sworn that at that moment, he caught a hint of regret and desire within her features. How many times had she turned him down sexually before he gave up, even after the war with Troy started and his muscles inflated practically overnight? Maybe that's why he still found it rather ironic that at the time, he was still the squeaky-clean virgin while she gave herself away to Mike a few months ago. He just smiled and sarcastically congratulated her when he caught sight of the hickies. She laughed at Spring Fling when she figured out that Brandon had finally lost his virginity, having slept with _her_ the night before.

The shirt began burning its way through his skin, becoming even tighter and tighter with each memory of the bitch that had betrayed him.

He couldn't have hated himself more than he did at that moment. How could he have been so stupid? Why didn't he wait until he was married, like his father? Why didn't Gabriella wait instead of slutting off with that prick next door? Why did it have to be him that _she_ chose to destroy over time? It started out as something out of the goodness of his heart, so unless _she_ was some kind of sick freak who loved being punched and spat at in a closet at a dance, he really didn't have any reason to be treated so horribly. _That was real rape_, he wanted to scream at her, _and I had real love for you! How can you be so twisted to want to see me like this?_

"_Because you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, Brandon. I'll never let you go."_

Liar.

So with that, the shirt was off and on the ground in the same fashion that he wanted the hoodie removed: violently ripped from his body, now just a large piece of cloth on the floor.

Brandon turned his face back to the mirror and just stared at himself. His skin was still tan, his cheeks flushed and spreading to the rest of his complexion. But still, with all that red on his person, the unhealed marks on his wrists were as stark and palpable as they had ever been. There were only six, and they were still screaming. He remembered the relief, the bliss that came with the pain of fending for yourself when everyone else you ever cared about finished digging your long-awaited grave. They all thought they could convince him that they still loved him. _Oh, of course we still give a fuck, Brandon. Do we look like the kind of people who will tear you down without giving you warning or reason first?_

You really want an answer? Here you fucking go.

He kept his stone eyes frozen on his mirror while his arms robotically arose in front of him. His right hand came down closer and closer to his left arm until the necklace pressed against the skin. His jaw locked as its sharpness introduced itself to his flesh once again. _Get acquainted, gentlemen, you'll be seeing much of each other from here on out._

One deep inhale and the diamond charm was splitting his skin.

Brandon's jaw quivered as he pulled it further down, the effort bringing tears to his eyes. He refused to believe that it was the pain making him show weakness, physical nor emotional. His ex-friends' menacing laughter finally began fading from his head as the diamond plugged deeper. He never looked at it, although he could feel the slippery blood between his fingers and dripping onto his bare feet. He couldn't remember ever taking his shoes off.

After ten elongated seconds, Brandon pulled the diamond out of his arm. His right hand was in spasms, as were his lungs and heart. Swallowing back the lump in his throat took most of his concentration; he had none left to keep the necklace in his hand as it fell to the carpet.

Someone beeped their horn outside. Brandon didn't know how he knew that, since all he could focus on was the blood flowing out of the cut and dripping onto his jeans, his feet, and staining the carpet. Cold water and endless scrubbing would most likely take it out, but oh well, the carpet would survive. How many times has he come into this room from another bloody fight with _him_? It wasn't like he didn't have any excuse for it not to be there.

He could feel the blood pooling through his jeans and trickling down his leg. Automatically, he reached over and grabbed a t-shirt from his open gym bag. Brandon didn't have to watch himself form the tourniquet and secure it tightly, or get another shirt to make up for the soaked one.

_No!_

Why was he muffling the new screams coming from his skin? Why was he punishing the one thing that could give him this kind of release from anger? What was wrong with him?

As deep as the cut was, the anger came rushing back in a flashing wave. It created a heavy pressure on his brain, even shoving his stomach all the way down to his feet. Brandon glowered at his reflection, at the hypocritical bastard glaring right back. How dare he stand there half-naked, his arm probably as stained as the carpet, with his veins angrily popping out of his skin everywhere. Was this really who he was now? A beautiful prick who got off on his own blood and guts seeping out of his arm? Was this who he was meant to be this entire time?

_Well then, fuck you, too._

As he locked his jaw shut as well as his eyes, he tried to ignore the voice in his head telling him that this wasn't a good idea when he lashed out and smashed the full-length mirror to pieces. Brandon opened his eyes just in time to see himself crack and shatter to the floor. It was only the crimson distress flowing down his arm that lingered, the last thing he saw before all that could be seen was his green wall in the mirror frame.

He didn't know how or when it happened, but the next thing he knew was he was flailing towards his pillow, reaching in the case, and pulling out the only object he trusted with a job like this. Never again would he use the diamond to release a pressure that heavy, not if he was just going to shut away the cut like it meant nothing to him. It was the _only_ thing that he could trust now. The _only_ thing that could keep him from killing himself completely.

Brandon took quick, sharp breaths through his teeth while holding up his arm again. The razor was cutting into his arm before his lungs could even register that there was a profound delivery. He repeated this, this time not in the orderly fashion that he did the first time. In a blur of merciless punishment and self-hatred, Brandon slashed a vast series of various cuts all over his forearm: deep, shallow, straight, jagged, parallel, crisscrossed, spontaneous, personal.

But these didn't help as much as they should have. He was a beast, a demon standing in the middle of a teenage boy's bedroom. Any normal person wouldn't be in such an angry riot that he ignored the layers and layers of blood falling from his arm and creating an even bigger pool by his feet. He reached up and grabbed his black roots again, pressing his discolored arm to his left, his chest, his face. Pulling away and looking at himself again would most definitely worry him, looking like a male Carrie with eyes just as wide and just as much thirst for revenge blazing in his heart. He wanted to set everyone and everything on fire, watch everyone he's ever known die, and flip _her_ and that prick that she was fucking over in their car.

Who's laughing now, bitches?

When Brandon finally dropped the blade at his drenched feet, relief was hardly what he would call feeling at that moment—or not feeling at all. If he put in the work to try and figure out this, this…_hollowness_ that had saturated his mind, he would've come up with the semi-simple answer that was just that: he was feeling nothing at all. He was finally numb again. He didn't dare try to reason for how long this time, or crawl out of his shell to realize that the music playing in the background didn't match this scary serenity.

"_You can tell me that there's nobody else, but I feel it…"_

Oh, please, no.

"_You can tell me that you're home by yourself, but I see it…"_

He was finally in a place where he wasn't begging to be split open and this was how he was rewarded? What kind of sick plot twist was this?

"_You can look me in the eyes and pretend all you want, but I know…"_

_Carrie would kill you, too…_

It would never end, would it? No matter which way seemed right to him, whichever path seemed to have the least amount of heartbreak, the cursed image of his angel writhing, squirming underneath that thief's body would never leave him. His name coming out of her mouth in a scream over the phone would always refuse to deafen him, only becoming clearer and clearer each time. And as long as his sister was seeing the man with _her_ blood flowing in his, he could only come up with one answer.

No, it would never end. Why even try anymore?

And with that, Brandon felt himself implode again. All the anger and agony that had consumed him seemed to evaporate into his brain and build until it was forced to transform into something much worse. Who cares? Everyone hated him anyway.

_Liar._

That was only true for everyone except the only thing that would sing him to sleep tonight from the convenient spot in between his feet, dripping his soul from it's sharp, perfect edge and taking control of everything from one simple stain on the carpet.

* * *

**REVIEW!**

**~Rachel :]**


	33. Lock & Key

**Two years. You guys still remember me?**

**For those regular followers, yes, I did change the title. Haunting Memories has been getting on my nerves for a while, so I changed it to make it more God's First Nightmare friendly. Hello, Devil's Last Dream xD**

**Previously:**

**- Brandon's under the impression that Izzy cheated with Josh when she was really raped by Brick**

**- Brick lets Troy know that Brandon dumped Izzy, they beat each other's asses, and that's the end of the friendship**

**- Brandon discovers cutting and Izzy loses touch with hygene and reality**

**- Troy becomes increasingly tired, no matter how much sleep he's getting**

**- Brandon's cutting is getting out of control and he's pushing everyone away**

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**Chapter 32 – Lock & Key**

"Gabs! Guess what?!"

Gabriella didn't need to take out her headphones to hear Troy's excited cry tearing through her balcony doors. She knew she should've given the thought of lending him a key a little more time.

"What's wrong now, Troy?"

If Troy noticed her tired, defeated tone at more unexpected news, he didn't show it. Maybe it was hiding behind the bright gleam in his eyes as he gripped the balcony rim tightly. "Nothing! Everything's perfect! Well, not exactly perfect, but I have a feeling that that's where we're headed!"

Gabriella's eyebrows connected, as if to say _"Really? Because you're at war with my brother again, he broke up with his soul mate and is a complete tragedy, and I'm jammed in the middle of you two idiots. This isn't exactly my definition of perfect, but whatever floats your boat, sweetie."_

"What are you talking about?"

Troy was beaming again. His girlfriend's lack of enthusiasm and understanding didn't seem to budge him one bit, and he continued. "Sarah called Matt last night."

"And?"

"Sarah heard the shower running at about one in the morning."

"So your aunt got home late or—"

"No, Gabby," He was gasping her name now, the flush in his cheeks not fading in the dark Albuquerque moonlight. The lighting made the prominent lines of his muscles underneath his tight t-shirt look all the more stunning, but that wasn't what Gabriella was trying to focus on. It was his childish babbling that had her at a loss for words. "Aunt O cut back her hours to be with Izzy more, so she gets home at around six or seven these days. She was in bed and so was Sarah. Matter of fact, it woke Sarah up because the bathroom's right beside her room. No one slept over with her. It was just the three of them in the house last night and if Sarah and Aunt Olivia were in bed…"

Any bystander wouldn't know which happened first: Gabriella's mouth falling wide open or her empty cup of soda dropping from her hand and rolling off her bed onto the carpet. The drops of brown liquid would have to wait; life was finally starting to pick itself off of it's ass.

"Izzy took a shower?! By herself?!"

"Washed her hair and everything!" Troy was now bouncing on the balcony edge with giddy energy. Gabriella took that as her sign to throw herself off of her bed and hurry over to him to make sure he didn't fall and kill himself. "Her legs are still pretty scratchy, but we're getting there!"

"Troy, that's fantastic! What did Brooke say?"

"I don't know, I didn't talk to her. Have you?"

She shook her head. "Not since that day in your room and a few texts. There really wasn't that much to talk about but now—"

Troy jumped over the railing and in one quick step, he was at her doorframe right beside her. Gabriella took note of his foot placement, carefully positioned to not cross over the invisible line that would declare him officially _inside_ the house. He'd made a silent vow to literally not set foot inside the Montez house until Brandon admitted to being dead wrong and apologized to everyone he'd hurt with his judgment. He wouldn't even allow himself inside his girlfriend's bedroom. Sure, he missed the fruity aroma of her closet and the fresh scent of her bed sheets, but his anger with Brandon seemed to be more than enough to silence the voice of his hormones. He was, as Chad put it, on a mission and all he was missing was the theme music.

"Now," Troy cut her off. "She can finally stop being mad at us and start celebrating. Izzy's getting over Brandon! She's finally recovering!"

Gabriella smiled warmly, silently mourning the fact that his closing statement couldn't be a two-way street. Brandon was still locking himself in his room thirteen hours a day doing God knows what and not making any progress in the slightest. Gabriella was sure that him calling her a whore was pretty legit proof of that.

She shook it all off and turned back to Troy. "Did you tell any of the gang yet?"

He shook his head and continued bouncing on his feet, gripping her hands with enough strength to pass by his normal loving manor to leave Gabriella wincing. "Nope, too excited. I want to tell them tomorrow in school so we can get one huge reaction."

Gabriella tried to ignore the music volume from across the hall double when Troy's feet hit the ground a little too hard, causing a deep rumble throughout the top floor.

"Good idea. Who do you think will make the biggest deal?"

* * *

"YOU'RE SHITTING US!"

Turns out they didn't have to put all the guesswork into who would make the biggest fuss over the news. The gang was pretty much hardwired to read each other's thoughts by now, but with good news like this, all of their hanging out really paid off.

Troy and Gabriella were left laughing at their wide-eyed friends, holding hands whilst leaning against the wall opposite the lunch table . It was pretty easy to ignore all of the stares and glares from their peers around them. "Yup," Troy started, "She's getting better."

Sharpay's black, beaded purse dangled with her arms while she clapped her hands excitedly. "Yay! Finally, I knew she would show that Bolton strength one of these days!" Troy blushed.

Chad tightened his grip on Taylor's hand and looked over at Troy and Gabriella like an expectant child on Christmas morning. "Did she go to school today?"

Troy dug around in the pockets of his sweats for a second before revealing the top inch of his phone. "I texted Sarah this morning, but she'd just gotten off the bus. She has lunch in about an hour, so I'll send one out to each of you guys next period."

Zeke rolled his eyes. "Of all the useless periods in a day, it has to be my gym period."

Troy shot him a sharp look and narrowed his eyes. "I'll promise to get ISS with you if you get caught, but you are _not_ missing this text."

"Fine, just because you promised."

The end of the period was nearing and their peers were gathering up their books and throwing out their trash. Chad grabbed his book bag and tossed it over his shoulder, wrapped his arm around Taylor's waist again, and sighed. "So, this is just about one of the greatest moments of your life, right?"

Troy didn't get the chance to answer before a draft of vanilla and Hollister blew past the faces of the now silent gang. Chad's question gusted into oblivion, forgotten, as a new one slipped through their minds. Though no one dared to speak it, Gabriella came pretty close and therefore her head hung low near Troy's tense shoulder even when the smell passed. Why _he_ was so late to lunch would have to wait to be answered until after her stomach settled and another question hit her from all angles: why did it unsettle them in the first place?

The answer was simple. Of all the things that were changing, Brandon's scent would never leave them alone. He could hide all he wanted; the biggest, most uncontrollable trait that he possessed remained invisible and all-powerful. So Brandon strolled on by over to Amy and Mike, oblivious to the one lingering power he still had over the demons he used to call family.

* * *

The bathroom was deserted, as was the hallway outside and as helpful as this was, Brandon hardly noticed. It would be a miracle if he even cared, like he knew he should. His hoodie was black, his hands were freed of evidence, but he felt far too lazy to shove the bloody paper towels down far enough in the trash can. It would be unfair how easy it would be for someone to walk in and match up Brandon's new emo façade with the red-stained trash can. What then? They report him to the guidance office, get sent to therapy, until he would finally end up in an asylum? Who were they to so quickly judge him in the first place? He had his reasons to act the way he did, so everyone could just piss off. Screw them and the questions he didn't even want to conjure up in his imagination right now. Although there was always one that came back to his mind, even before he started having these thoughts:

Who put the idea in his head in the first place?

Brandon nearly smiled when the memory came back to him, the day he first heard of self-harmers and their practices. Who better to inform you on self-injury than a self-injurer? He didn't know why he remembered this day, let alone this moment so well. But the one thing he did know for sure and the one thing he'd never forget was that he didn't blame his advisor. He'd never point the finger at him, never again.

…Ten Years Ago…

_It was Friday, finally Friday, and little eight year-old Brandon couldn't sit still on his kitchen stool for the life of him. With his leg shaking, fingers tapping and nostrils quivering, he couldn't get over the fact that he must've been one of the luckiest little boys in the world. Who else do you know that has a lawyer in one parent and a gourmet chef/guitar salesman in the other?_

"_When's it gonna be done?" Brandon impatiently asked when the grilling chicken became too much for him to handle. He pouted when he was quickly shushed and the kitchen TV's volume was increased. In front of Brandon was a sizzling pan of delicious chicken and behind him, emerging from the fridge, was Chase._

"_Calm down, Sherlock," he chuckled, setting a pack of Pepper Jack cheese and butter down on the counter. Ignoring his son's continued groans and gripping of the hair, he added "I wanna hear this."_

_Hardly interested, Brandon looked to the left at the kitchen television and took a dramatic breath at the breaking news flashing across the screen. As soon as Chase turned it up a little more, the scene flashed to a high school hallway._

"_**Apparently, the budget cuts of East High School has taken it's toll on the students much harder than expected, especially those enrolled in the Creative Writing class. Records show their new protest methods are quickly spiraling out of control as they continue to self-injure themselves until the course is returned. The students' plan of action is simple, yet bold enough to capture the attention of the authority surrounding them, with their black wardrobes and short sleeves to display the cuts and burns on their arms, some spelling out the name of the school with angry slashes through them. The school is, as we speak, seriously debating how to handle this horrifying trend and a decision will be made this weekend. Here is what some of the students have to say about this:"**_

_Chase sighed and turned it back down, focusing on the salad bowl in front of him. Brandon, however, couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen and the angry teenage girl with, as mentioned, the depressing wardrobe, obvious black dye-job, and smoky makeup yelling into the microphone._

"_Oh my gosh, daddy," he turned his wide eyes to his father on the other side of the counter. "people are really doing this because of stupid school?"_

_Chase grinned and handed Brandon the cup of his homemade salad dressing for a taste test. While Brandon dipped his finger in the black liquid, his father shook his head. "I know, son. I can't believe it either. And the sad part is that they know the school can't do anything about it, but they still refuse to stop. Makes you wonder what the world's coming to."_

"_But why would they hurt themselves? Can't they just write letters or something? Why don't they just raise the money and actually help the school so they don't lose anything else?"_

_Chase smiled and chuckled at his son, sliding over the cup of dressing over again when he saw Brandon stare at it with pleading eyes. "You know, they should put you in charge if you're coming up with ideas that smart at an age this young."_

"_Seriously, why would someone want to hurt themselves?"_

_Chase sighed again, trying to find the words to explain the sensitive subject to his innocent spawn. He braced his hands against the counter and began drumming his fingers against it's surface, staring out the window at the darkening sky as if searching for answers. When he didn't receive any, he easily decided to wing it._

"_Everybody has problems," he started, still not looking Brandon in the eye. "some worse than others, but everyone still has a way to deal with them. They find a way to let out all of the feelings inside as soon as possible. Some do it in helpful ways, like working out, painting, music, or just talking it out with someone. But some aren't so lucky to have found their positive way of dealing with things."_

"_They're the ones that hurt themselves?" Brandon asked, taking another slurp of the sweet dressing._

_Chase nodded. "They're lost, Brandon. They need more help than the rest of us. They're the ones who are so sad, angry, and hopeless that they think any kind of physical pain is better than the emotional pain. It helps them forget for a second. But that's it, because when the scar forms, it's always there to remind them of how sad they were. They feel better for a second, but they'll feel worse later."_

_Brandon seemed so deep in thought, he forgot to dip his finger in the cup for another round of dressing. But, to Chase's surprise, he didn't seem wounded or sad at all for the broken souls in the world. Instead, he stayed true to his nickname and asked more questions, just like Sherlock himself._

"_Then why don't more people have scars?" Brandon looked up at his father again, this time remembering the plastic cup in front of him. "You said everyone has problems, right?"_

_Chase gave this notion some thought, thanking every higher power in existence for a son so bright and positive as his. "There are other ways. More popular, dangerous ways. You know the drug & alcohol assemblies you have at school?"_

_Brandon nodded, eating the dressing like popcorn and listening to his dad's words like a movie._

"_I know you've been listening, because you're a smart kid who knows the best choice just by his instincts. But no matter what your friends tell you, no matter what the stupid 'cool kids' say, your teachers are right. Drugs and alcohol are a lot of people's ways for dealing with their problems and you know what happens? It ruins their life. The help that they could've gotten becomes impossible to get and they miss their chance at a better life."_

"_How do you know that, daddy?"_

"_Because I've seen it ruin people that I love in my own family. They ended up a heck of a lot worse than where they started, so there's absolutely no point in starting. Okay? Don't forget that."_

_Brandon nodded once more, lifting the cup to his lips to finish off the dressing. But Chase beat him to the punch, grabbing it back before Brandon could have any more._

"_Jeez, little man, leave some for the rest of your family," he chuckled, turning his attention back to the salad._

_Brandon jumped from the stool and scrambled over to stand beside his father. Standing on the tips of his toes, he grabbed the edge of the counter and peered to the surface at his dinner, a wide smile crossing his thin face._

"_Hey, Dad?"_

"_Yeah, kid?"_

"_If those dumb high school kids keep hurting themselves because it kind of makes them feel bad, does that mean they'll never stop?"_

_Chase hesitated, putting down the wooden tongs. "I sure hope not. It'll eventually become a part of their life that they won't be able to control. They're most likely addicted by now."_

"_Addicted?" Brandon repeated. "Like they're doing it all the time?"_

"_Unfortunately."_

_Brandon thought about it for a minute, watching his dad tossing the salad like he wasn't even trying. He remembered the last time they had salad with dinner and how Chase let him practice tossing it. They ended up having to mop at least half a bag of lettuce and olives off of the floor due to the amount that Brandon couldn't keep in the bowl. But at least Chase made a big joke out of it to keep Brandon's guilt at bay._

_The youngster's feet started to bounce, tossing his bangs in his eyes and blocking his view of his father's multiple masterpieces. It seemed Chase could always create something out of nothing, like their special Christmas Ice Cream. Gabriella once pouted about running out of chocolate ice cream because apparently, vanilla was too plain and boring. So what did Chase do? He quickly grabbed cocoa powder and cinnamon, estimated the appropriate measurements, and added the concoction to his menu. The twins had never been more impressed in all their eight years._

"_So," Brandon spoke up, "what are you addicted to? Is it cooking?"_

_Chase peered down at his mini-me and stared into his big, blinking eyes and couldn't help but start laughing. After ruffling Brandon's mop top, he lay his hand to rest on his bony shoulder and bent down to place a quick kiss on the top of his head._

"_Little man, I'm addicted to my family. Someone has to make sure you don't kill anyone with your wild dancer's feet."_

_Brandon blushed, but gave a warm smile nonetheless. "Really?"_

"_Yeah, really. I love you guys too much. Why would I choose drinking over you?"_

That was ten years ago, one day before the family found out about Chase's brother Charlie's cancer. Chase stuck by his twin brother throughout the entire fight, but when the end came way too soon, the alcohol was all he could see in his life. Eight long, grueling years later, he was out on his own, residing in the house his dear brother handed off to him in his will.

But that didn't matter anymore. All was forgiven, at least in Brandon's eyes. He and Gina were best friends and his parenting skills were back to their level-headed roots. What else were they supposed to ask for? Brandon was no longer angry at his father for anything at all. In fact, now that he thought about it, if he were to tell anyone about his self-injury, Chase would most likely be the most understanding. Maybe he could even help his son. Maybe.

Probably not.

Who the hell was he kidding…

"Hold on, dude, I gotta pee."

The sound of laughter entering the bathroom interrupted Brandon's sinking thoughts. But he didn't even turn his head to look at who was invading his space. Let them walk all over him. Did it even matter anymore?

But when the first sophomore's head came into his line of vision, he could recognize the blond locks without so much as another blink.

Here we go again…

"Oh, hey, Brandon. What's up, man?"

Brandon's only answer was smooth silence from against the wall, sending Gabriele the message instantly. He waited three, maybe four seconds before clearing his throat uncomfortably and ending the unnecessary formalities himself. " Okay, I'll just see you later then. Bye."

Brandon didn't bother to feel bad about his harsh dismissal, very unlike how Gabriele felt all those months ago, however. But it wasn't like he didn't deserve that either. Sherlock had struck again and the name wasn't given to him out of love. He was nosy. Just another flaw in his life that didn't feel worth fixing anymore.

"Brandon?"

The senior's eyes flicked up to the second voice to enter the bathroom, expecting to see Gabriele back on his case. But despite his lack of curiosity and concern of nearly everything around him, his gaze held on the second blond sophomore with a hint of surprise. His pink polo matched the thick scar leading from the tip of his nose to the inside of his top lip, like an arrow pointing to his chipped front tooth. These injuries had not been fixed, obviously, but his sunny locks looked much more natural than the last time Brandon had seen them. The black had washed out nicely. He looked cleaner, brighter. Happier. That at least made one of them, Brandon thought as James spoke again.

" Is that…" James broke off his thought as he made a closer observation, squinting his green eyes to see past the shadow that draped Brandon's face in darkness. When he had apparently confirmed this thought, he drew back and gave a timid grin. "Hey."

"Hi."

The bathroom was silent again, James's eyes searching the floor as if looking for the words to say to his former hero. "So how's it going?"

Brandon held his own, blinking twice with a blank look. As soon as he saw the realization dawn over James's face, he answered. "You?"

He nodded, still not looking him in the eye. "Pretty good, I guess. Gabe dropped the charges, so I guess I should be."

"Good."

"Yeah…" When Brandon's eyes dropped down to the floor beneath him, James took the opportunity to really get his look, taking in Brandon's black hoodie, matching jeans, and bare, deathly still ring finger. The elephant in the room was smothering him, he realized, so he decided to go for it.

"God, Sherlock, what happened to you?"

Brandon hesitated, pondering the question that's been thrown at him so many times it should've become a routine answer. But James was different. James understood on a level that even Tro—_he_ couldn't. James mattered, and this answer had to be spoken in a code that James could decipher on an emotional level and Brandon could speak without crying.

He looked up, relaxed his lips, and shrugged.

"I lost my Crystal."

Just as Brandon expected, James' eyes closed and his fists clenched. And if he looked carefully enough, Brandon could even see a stray strand of black hair that James failed to coat while returning to his natural color.

But the sophomore held his own, taking a deep breath and dropping his shoulders. "Oh," he sighed. "I'm sorry, man, that's gotta hurt."

"Yeah."

James hesitated before replying. "Troy's not helping you through it?"

Brandon ground his teeth together, taking his turn in closing his angry eyes. "No. Long story."

"Damn," James dropped his bag and rested his back against the bathroom wall. He bent his knees, but didn't join Brandon on the ground just yet. "Just as I was starting to like that guy…"

_Too close_…Brandon muted the scream begging to be emitted and cleared his throat. "I see you and Gabe are better."

Brandon didn't need to look at him to tell that James' smile cancelled out a good portion of the seriousness of the room. This was the time he slide all the way down on the floor. "I never got around to thanking you for that, have I?"

This had Brandon lifting his eyes in curiousity.

James continued to explain. "He told me about that day you visited him in the hospital after that fight we had at lunch. Normally I don't like people helping me out and fighting my battles for me, but in the end you're the reason that we're able to walk down the same hallway and not feel that our entire day is ruined. Thanks, Brandon. You're a miracle worker."

_Don't listen to him…_"Happy to help."

James' eyebrows furrowed. "But you're not happy now."

"It's fine."

"My Lie Radar's gotten better since the last time we talked, too, you know that?"

The energy drained from his body so fast, it left Brandon no power to even shake his head. "It's not important."

"Did Troy tell you that?" The authority in James' voice would've taken Brandon by surprise if he hadn't already been frozen. He could hear James move from his spot across from him and scoot closer, in front of him, just getting started. "Look, you're in a bad place right now and I get that, I really do. You need your time to heal and that needs to be respected. Now I'm not saying that the way you're going about it is the wrong way, but have you really looked at all of your options?"

Brandon couldn't keep his response from wavering. "There are no options."

"Why do you say that?"

He gulped. "I don't deserve any."

"Do you really believe that?"

A broken whisper. "Yes…"

James paused. "What does Gabriella think of all this?"

The oncoming anger picked away at the ice wall encompassing Brandon's mind. "She's with him."

"Completely?"

Brandon was thawed enough to slightly narrow his eyes. "Might as well be."

James pondered this for a second, not exactly expecting the information. He suddenly, optimistically, replied. "But you've still got Amy and Mike. I saw you sitting with them at lunch."

Brandon shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Two lean arms lifted into the air, the matching shoulders lifting. "Then there you go! Confide in them."

Brandon shook his head stiffly. "It's not that easy."

"No one ever said it would be," Another oncoming lecture. "You just have to decide if happiness is worth all the extra effort. Nothing worth having comes easy. And it doesn't even have to be Amy and Mike that are the ones helping you. As long as you have someone that doesn't care how hard you have to lean on them and doesn't care how many shirts you ruin when you cry, the decision is already halfway made for you. Just find _one_ person, Brandon, and I promise that the rest will just come naturally. Okay?"

There was nothing left to say, nothing left to ask or ponder. Brandon didn't even know why he decided to say "Yeah," even if he was still working on believing James.

"Did you eat?"

Brandon shook his head. The pit he called his stomach hadn't been talking to him either.

James pursed his lips, stopping a moment to think. "I think Amy's sick, so she didn't finish her lunch. You might be able to swipe some of it if you hurry back."

Brandon wouldn't do a damn thing about food. James probably knew that better than he did. But the conversation needed to come to a close as his level of tolerance for human communication was quickly receding. "Thanks."

James smiled, his crooked teeth not holding an ounce of self-consciousness or regret. "Don't mention it. See you around, Sherlock. Good luck." With that, he was gone, leaving Brandon to try and forget everything he had just said.

But honestly, has anything worked out in his favor lately? The bell rang, and he didn't move.

* * *

The car keys hitting her bed had never sounded so good at 12:45 PM. Gabriella shrugged off her hoodie and ran tired finger through her hair, reflecting on Troy's harsh words. His random flare-up about Brandon had her completely sidetracked and almost unable to calm him down. She tried to remember that he was angry, as he had every right to be. But this was her twin brother he was screaming about. She promised to do her best to help, but he had to meet her somewhere in the middle. Otherwise, she would have a little too much to think about.

Throwing her bag down beside her bed, she let her head collapse on her pillow and closed her eyes. After a second, she casually gathered her hair from the pillow and tossed it behind her, only to find herself diverted again when her earring stabbed the back of her skull. Wincing, she tried to brush it away distraction number three started irking her nerves.

Gabriella sat up and prepared to throw the stupid fake diamond across the room, but her eyebrows knitted together instead. She could've sworn she had dropped her keys at the foot of her bed. How did one lone key get to her pillow without her knowledge? And why the hell did it look like the tip of a butter knife? No way this was on her keychain, and no way would her mother drop it there when she knew damn well that Gabriella had no idea what it was for.

Wait a minute.

Gabriella got to her feet and made her way over to her bedroom door. This was a long shot, but the nagging feeling wouldn't leave her alone. She positioned the key at the entrance of the keyhole and slowly slipped it inside. She gasped.

Running to her vanity, she slid her makeup out of the way until she came upon her jewelry box. Opening it, she dug her way to the bottom and picked up a matching key. She froze. If her bedroom door key was already here, then…

Gabriella's head, very slowly, turned in the direction of the hallway, where she stared at the closed door at the other end of the hall that had been locked for the past week. She gripped the piece of iron tighter in her fingers, feeling her heart swell and knowing the significance of it's sudden appearance.

The key to Brandon's room.

* * *

Two years I've been writing this chapter and this is the best I could do. I promise I'll do better next time and I promise I'm not giving up on this story. Not ever.

~Rachel 3


	34. The Other Side

**Short one, but a bit significant if I do say so myself :)  
**

**Chapter 33 – The Other Side**

The knock was softer than it had been three days ago, gentle enough not to startle her fragile state. But still loud enough to make sure she was still alive.

"Hey, sweetie."

No answer. There never was anymore. However, this still wasn't enough to discourage Olivia from her morning duties. "Honey, it's 6:30. Time to get up."

She still didn't move, not even when her door creaked open. Same as every morning. The familiar disturbance of the extra presence in the room, the patter of slippers crossing the floor, the dip at the foot of the bed. And then the words, always the words.

"How you feeling, honey?"

That same lock of hair got pushed behind her ear. That path from her ear to her chin was traced by the second softest thumb she had ever felt. Her mother's touch was comforting, but nothing compared to the grace of a promise ring being slipped onto her finger.

Her chest constricted and she flinched.

The slight movement was enough for Olivia to breathe again. She rubbed her daughter's back and chirped "There she is! Come on, we're leaving in 45 minutes."

After pecking a kiss on her forehead, Olivia was out of the room much too quickly to notice the tears of pain from Isabelle clutching her chest, right over her heart.

* * *

Six pounds had been shed in the last two weeks, making it easy for Isabelle to not notice her sister's hoodie on her shoulders. A perfect fit, and Sarah hadn't said a word.

It was fifth period, lunch time. And in agreement with the new routine, Brooke was already back with her lunch as well as Isabelle's by the time the blonde had arrived at the table.

As usual, Brooke wore a loving smile and pushed a soft pretzel with lemonade over at her best friend. "Morning, love." Her accent was extra-prominent with the pressure of perkiness. "You hungry?"

Isabelle didn't need to say no. She didn't even have to fake a smile or lie and say that she'd try to eat. She just sniffed and began picking at the sparse salt.

She could feel her friends' eyes flying in every direction, to her, to each other, to the table. But she knew where Brooke's were: on her phone, sending Isabelle's every move to Arianne two states over.

She opened her lemonade bottle and brought it up to her chapped lips, wondering how Brooke kept doing it. From the daily reports to logging Isabelle's eating habits and weight loss to receiving the same information and matching up her charts with Brand—

The yellow liquid spurted from Isabelle's mouth so fast she didn't even feel it happen. All she focused on was the fierce knot in her heart, threatening bile.

"Izzy," her friend Katie was gripping her shoulders now, mouth at her ear. "What's wrong?"

"What happened, Isabelle?" Brooke's voice was much more demanding and medical, her pen poised over a fresh line in her notebook.

They all knew she wouldn't answer. She would just keep her damp eyes sealed to keep everyone focused on the real problem: her tired hand clawing at the skin over her heart, trying to piece everything back together.

* * *

Sixth period. Isabelle had to be assisted to her and Brooke's next class, shaking her head every time someone suggested that she go home. She was so close to rebounding, she couldn't give up now.

Brooke helped Isabelle into the chair in front of her own where she could easily keep an eye on her. Isabelle tried to breathe, letting her head fall into her hands for support. But the constricting burn wasn't going away.

This was the longest it had ever gone on. Usually she'd only need to suffer for ten or fifteen minutes. Not a whole hour. It was like the lemonade had burned the gaping wound in her heart and moved the throb all throughout her body. This couldn't be a case of simple depression anymore, she thought. Something was seriously wrong here. The question was, did she care enough to get help?

Mr. Gaytes walked into the room and started passing out worksheets about psychological disorders. Isabelle didn't know which one, although there was some kind of emergency suicide hotline at the bottom. Her phone felt heavy in her pocket and the throbbing continued to haunt her.

"Who did the homework last night?" Mr. Gaytes silenced the chatter with his annoyed question. Three people raised their hands while everyone else's faces took up confused, awe-struck, and humored looks. Isabelle didn't move.

"Figures," he scratched his balding head and sighed heavily, perching himself on the edge of his desk. "Does anyone even care that most of the questions on that assignment were answers for your test tomorrow? Why do I keep giving you chances to better yourselves if you refuse to take them?"

Isabelle's hand subconsciously slid down to her chest, gripping at the epic pain.

But Gaytes didn't notice; the man was on a roll. "Let me tell you something. Out of all my classes, all 120 kids, about three got on my webpage and actually looked at the resources. All you have to do is click the button of a mouse a couple of times, and that can be the only thing standing between you and getting to wherever you want to go. You're only sabotaging yourselves by not getting help. Why would you do that to yourselves?"

Brooke's pencil stabbing into her back was nothing compared to the new clutch that the pain had on Isabelle's heart. A couple of students around her even began looking at her and her labored breathing.

"It's like you guys don't even _want_ to get out of here. As much as you all complain about the blood, sweat, and tears you put into school, you won't do just that extra little bit of work to be better. Tell me, who in here even has hope for the test tomorrow?"

"Isabelle." Brooke's voice was loud in the room, too full of authority and focus. Too many for Isabelle to handle , even though she had started rocking.

"I'm not worried about Isabelle." He was in his own world now. "It's about everyone else that doesn't give a crap about their education! Even though you can easily compare yourselves to the people that we're studying, like the schizophrenics, anorexics, even self-harmers!"

_Crunch._

"AHHH!"

"Izzy!"

Isabelle was barely on the floor before Brooke was by her side. The rest of the kids had scattered, giving room for the horrific scene to unfold.

It was all happening too fast for anyone to make sense of: Brooke's paranoid cries, Mr. Gaytes's immediate orders, and the screaming. Isabelle's tortured screaming from her crouch on the floor. Her hands weren't helping anything anymore, but they were both glued to her chest in defensive fists. The pulsing flames engulfed her veins and choked the oxygen from her blood, blinding her and taking her entire being hostage. Brooke's voice was muted in her ears and her hands slipped over her best friend's skin in failed attempts to soothe her. Mr. Gaytes was on the school phone, demanding an ambulance and telling the rest of the class away from Isabelle. Even Tori, her false lashes batting to match her scowl. Everyone was squeamish, stunned, scared. Brooke chose to hide it, but release the tears in the form of strength, squeezing Isabelle's weakening hand with everything she had.

"It's okay, Izzy, it's all okay." Brooke buried her face in her best friend's damp hair. She made sure not to flinch while Isabelle's teeth came down on her arm to muffle her screams. The only feeling allowed was the clutch of Isabelle's hand in hers, waiting for her heart to stop breaking.

* * *

Nobody really thinks of a broken heart as anything literal. Emotional pain hits us, we cry, we live with it the best we can.

But why do we call it broken instead of just damaged?

Why do our chests contract at the thought of tragic love? Why do our stomachs give up their function? When do the aches in our heads stop the torture?

Why do we cry?

The human heart is more than just a muscle. It's a soldier. It's raised to stand on its own and fight the daily challenges on this battlefield called life. But it was always meant to find a partner, another heart to bond to and stand together. And what happens when those two soldiers are torn apart? The single heart has forgotten how to survive without the other half. The gaping hole becomes infected and spreads to every other part of the army, taking down everything in its path. The wound is too big to simply stitch up; it needs the only thing in the world that can fit it perfectly.

The absence of Brandon's stone in Isabelle's promise ring wasn't noticed by anyone, except his other half, lying in her hospital bed. Voices were everywhere, saying words she didn't understand to people she didn't know.

"Takotsubo cardiomyopathy?"

Silence.

"What the hell is that?"

Brooke's frustrated voice was a bigger shock to hear than Olivia's wrecked whimper.

A male sigh. The click of a pen. The clearing of a throat. "When the muscle of the heart is suddenly weakened, it's recognized as acute heart failure. If she'd been by herself or something else had kept her from getting to us, it would've been fatal."

"Jesus…" Brooke's voice was muffled, probably from her hand dragging over her face.

"What causes it?" Olivia was trying to be strong, but she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

The doctor took a deep breath again. "Basically, it's triggered by emotional stress, such as the death of a loved one, constant anxiety, even a breakup. We'll ask Isabelle what's going on when she wakes—"

"Wait," Brooke was up again. "a breakup? That could've killed her?"

"Well, yes," Isabelle could feel Brooke's rage even with her eyes closed. "Emotion plays a big part in the proper function of the human body. You become tired when you're depressed, sweat when you're nervous, your heart can feel like its literally breaking when a relationship ends."

"Are you saying what I think you are?"

The doctor exhaled. "I'm afraid so. After all, it's not called Broken Heart Syndrome for nothing."

**TC's a real condition, by the way. Too complicated for me to try and make up xD.  
**

**So! I thought we needed a little break from Troyella & the gang, so that's what's going on over in Cali. Brooke's pissed, and how's Troy gonna take the news that Brandon's actions put Izzy in a hospital bed?  
**

**When's Brick coming back?  
**

**REVIEW! Thnx :)  
**

**~Rachel :)  
**

**SNEAK AT NEXT CHAPTER:  
**

**- Gabriella takes advantage of Brandon's silent offer  
**

_**The air had changed in his room. The openness had vanished, the darkness seemed permanent. Angry. Metallic, even, bloody...  
**_

**_No matter. Gabriella felt her way over to his bed and crawled in beside him, feeling his tense frame in her hands. But something still wasn't right. She ran a finger from his bicep to his elbow. The slick fabric went all the way to his wrists, maybe even further. Her eyebrows furrowed. Brandon never slept in a shirt..._  
**

**That's all I have for now, sorry. But I'll be back as soon as I can.  
**


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